Cops quiz Bishop for 9 hrs, tape it

Jalandhar, August 14

The Kerala Police team in the city questioned Bishop Franco Mulakkal through the night regarding an alleged rape complaint filed by a nun and left in the wee hours of Tuesday. The questioning, that lasted nine hours, was video-taped.

Coming out of Bishop's House, Vaikom DSP K Subhash said no arrest was being made. “It is an old case. We need to examine it carefully. We will return to Kerala now. The Bishop will be questioned again, if need be”. 

The police team took away the Bishop’s cellphone, laptop and a few documents.

“The inquiry team primarily quizzed him on the purpose of his repeated visits to Kerala and more specifically about his stay in a guest house at Convent Kuravilangad where the complainant nun is alleged to have been assaulted 13 times between May 2014 and September 2016,” Bishop’s lawyer Mandeep Singh Sachdev told mediapersons.

The Bishop is said to have been also questioned on a “compromise attempt” two weeks ago and his ties with Father James Erthayil of the Kanjirappally Diocese. 

The latter had allegedly tried to strike a deal with Sister Anupama of the Missionaries of Jesus, Kottayam, said to be close to the complainant nun, for cancellation of the FIR. Sources said the Kerala police would rework on the case after the Onam celebrations, that start next week and that Bishop Mulakkal may be summoned there for further questioning. — TNS