Masked men assault 2 Catholic priests, loot cash over Rs 3 lakh from church in Jharkhand's Simdega

Simdega (Jharkhand), Oct 1 (PTI) Around 12 masked men armed with sticks assaulted two priests and looted more than Rs 3 lakh in cash from a church in Jharkhand’s Simdega district in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.

The incident took place at Tumdegi Parish under Simdega Mufassil police station limits in the district.

Simdega SP ruled out any religious motive behind the incident, saying it appeared to be a case of robbery.

"Prima facie, it appears to be a crime motivated by loot, and not an attack targeting the church for religious reasons. We have learned that nearly 12 masked men entered the church compound, assaulted the two priests, and looted cash stored inside the premises," Arshi told reporters.

The official said Simdega is a Christian-dominated district.

"Miscreants attacked the church to loot cash. The two priests are undergoing treatment at Simdega Sadar Hospital. Unfortunately, there was no CCTV cameras installed in the church. However, we are gathering information using our intelligence officers and hope to nab the miscreants soon," the SP said.

The two priests have been identified as Father Thomas Soreng and Father Emmanuel Bagwar. Both of them told police that the miscreants tied them with ropes and beat them before looting the cash kept in the church.

Simdega Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Baiju Oraon said a complaint has been lodged by the priests against unidentified men.

"On preliminary investigations we have found that more than Rs 3 lakh cash have been looted," the police official said.

This was the second attack on Catholic priests in Simdega district in the last few months.

In June, armed miscreants had attacked three priests at St Teresa Church in Bolbo block of Simdega district and looted cash. PTI ANB MNB