Kottayam: A police team investigating the sensational nun rape case is gearing up to interrogate the accused cleric Franco Mulakkal again. The bishop of Jalandhar diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, who is accused of raping the nun at a convent at Kuravilangad in Kottayam district, will find the going tough as the statement of a crucial witness has tightened the screws on him.
A statement by a nun, who keeps the visitors' register at a convent at Muthalakode, has punctured the bishop's argument that he was not at the Kuravilangad institution on the day when the alleged rape took place.
Police sources said the probe team has got evidence that some statements by Franco were indeed wrong. They also got explanations corroborating the contradictions in the complainant nun's statements.
Of the 81 statements recorded so far, three are crucial, say police sources. One of them proves the bishop's alibi wrong.
The nun who keeps the visitors' register at the Kuravilangad convent told the police that Franco had reached the convent on the date of crime mentioned in the nun's complaint. However, the bishop tried to challenge it saying he stayed at another convent at Muthalakode that day, but the official at this place refuted it. The statements by the bishop's car driver also corroborate the police's findings, it is learnt.
The nun's complaint was not convincing in the initial stage since she had not mentioned rape in an earlier complaint written to the cardinal. However, the nun later explained to the cops that she refrained from mentioning it in the complaint since she did not want three other peers, who were with her while preparing the document, know about the unsavoury episodes. The police are of the view that the clarification is satisfactory.
The police have taken into custody the laptop on which the complaint was typed, a computer, hard disc, the bishop's laptop among other material evidence. The police team is gathering evidence from the state as well as outside.
The nun had accused the clergyman of sexually assaulting her repeatedly between 2014 and 2016, a charge denied by him. A protest being staged by five nuns and various Catholic reforms organisations in Kochi seeking justice for the victim, meanwhile, entered the seventh day on Friday.
Cops ready for interrogation
Bishop Franco has been served a notice to appear before the probe team on September 19. Vaikom Dy SP: K. Subash, who leads the probe team, will be in charge of the interrogation too. Inspector General Vijay Sakhare and Kottayam district police chief Harishankar will supervise.
The police is likely to grill the bishop at the high-tech interrogation room at the Ettumanur police station or at the Kottayam Police Club. The team has examined the facilities at both places. The police station has more scientific facilities, but the club is a more secure place.
The interrogation will be on the basis of the statement already given by the bishop, denying the rape charge. The police plan to present evidence which will establish that his statement is not correct.
No need for CBI probe: Court
The Kerala High Court on Thursday expressed satisfaction in the ongoing probe. The court observed that since it was an old case, the probe will take time and "the final punishment of the accused is more important than the arrest."
Apart from hearing two petitions on the case, it also heard a third petition seeking a Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) probe into it, and said that at present that would not be granted. The court posted the matter for next hearing on September 24.
Convent security to be tightened
The police stated security will be beefed up at the St Francis Mission Home at Nadukunnu, Kuravilangad, where the nun who accused the bishop of rape stays. Two civil police officers are on guard there since July 19. The convent is under CCTV surveillance. Visitors are restricted. Intermittent police patrolling is also there. Phone calls to the convent will be checked if necessary. Five other nuns also live there.
