Evidence against Bishop Franco in rape case: Police

As per the initial investigation of the police, Roman Catholic Bishop of Jalandhar Franco Mulakkal abused his position and repeatedly raped a nun from Kerala, a special team probing the case told the Kerala high court today.

Responding to a petition seeking speedy investigation, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kottayam, K Subhash informed the court that the investigation was proceeding effectively and impartially.

After the submission by the officer, the HC disposed of the petition with a direction to the police to investigate the case properly.

The government counsel told Justice B Sudheendra Kumar that a decision on arresting Mulakkal, who has so far claimed innocence, will be taken after he is interrogated and evidence is examined.

In the statement, Subhash said he and his team would continue their investigation in Jalandhar.

The police statement was based on initial investigation and available evidence. It is revealed that the accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal committed unnatural offence and committed rape repeatedly on the nun against her will, the statement read.

The bishop confined the nun to a guestroom in St Francis Mission Home in Kuravilangad in Kottayam district of Kerala, the statement alleged.

No laxity or indifference has been shown till date in the investigation of the case, it said.

The petition was filed by the Kerala Catholic Church Reformation Movement (KCRM), which claimed that the police were not taking speedy action in the case.

In her complaint lodged with Kottayam district police, the nun accused Mulakkal of raping and having unnatural sex with her multiple times between 2014 and 2016.

State police chief Loknath Behera on August 1 reviewed the progress of the case and permitted the investigation team to proceed to Jalandhar, New Delhi and other cities as part of the investigations.