Statue stolen from Mumbai church; search on for culprit

MUMBAI: A statue of St Anthony has been stolen allegedly by an unidentified person from a church in Mumbai following which the city police have registered an FIR, an official said on Wednesday.

Efforts were on to nab the culprit who stole the statue, located in Gloria Church compound in Byculla area, on February 21, he said. The statue, made of ''cheeni matti'' (China clay), was stolen by breaking the lock of a grille door outside the church compound, the official from Byculla police station said.

As per the CCTV footage of the church, it seems the culprit might be a drug addict and committed the crime to earn quick money, he said. The person decamped with the statue a day before the beginning of the Christian holy period of Lent, he said.

''We are searching for the culprit and hope to catch him soon. We have registered a case of theft and a probe is on into it,'' the official said.

In January this year, crosses in a cemetery attached to St Michael's Church in Mahim area here were vandalised by an unidentified person. Last month, a person threw a stone at a grotto of Mother Mary outside a church in suburban Malad. The city police have made arrests in both these cases, the official added.