2 priests attacked, 10 lakh rupees stolen

Rourkela: Two priests of a Catholic church were captured and attacked by 8 to 10 unidentified miscreants early on Saturday morning. The attackers allegedly looted Rs 10 lakh from the church. Both the priests sustained injuries and were admitted to Rourkela Government Hospital. The Brahmani Tarang police have started investigations after receiving the complaint on Saturday. According to police, the priests belong to a Catholic church in Jharabahal, which is under the jurisdiction of Brahmani Tarang police station. The church premises also houses a school with Odia classes and another with English as the medium of instruction. At around 2:30 am, around 8 to 10 miscreants, covering their faces with masks and armed with sticks and iron rods, broke into the church. They then kicked open the doors of the two rooms where the priests, identified as Albis Lakra and Nirtel Bilung, were sleeping. After entering the premises, they brutally beat both the priests, took them captive and demanded the keys to the church’s donation box and a cupboard containing school fees and other funds. After stealing the keys, the miscreants looted around Rs 1 million and fled the scene. On Saturday morning, church officials informed Brahmani Tarang police station about the incident. Police arrived at the scene with a forensic team and a dog squad. Rourkela SP Brijesh Kumar Rai visited RGH on Saturday afternoon to speak to the injured priests. Subsequently, the police have registered a case under Section 395 of the IPC and initiated investigation to nab the miscreants.

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