Moodbidri: A thief who sneaked into the Corpus Christi church in town and tried to steal money from the collection box was caught red-handed on Tuesday.
When the parish priest, Fr Austin P Peres, was returning from Alangar around 2-15 pm, he spotted a man coming out of the church in a suspicious manner. He asked for some monetary help for fare to return to his home in Sakleshpur.
Fr Peres got alert and entered the church. He found that the alms box had been broken open. As the man had already left by then, he left in his bike and went in search of the culprit, who was spotted near the labour school.
The priest, with the assistance of two others who chased the intruder, handed him over to the police. He confessed to the act and was taken into custody.
He has been identified as Prakash Castelino, hailing from Hassan district. The police are investigating the case. The CCTV footage shows him using a sickle to break into the premises. Since it did not help, he is seen using a wooden block to break open the door.
This is said to be the second attempt for theft in 25 days. Similar cases of theft have been reported from Niddodi, Alangar and Paladka during the past few days.
“He has been identified as Prakash Castelino..” – Report.
Good job by priest in catching the real culprit. In a highly sensitive environment, many have a tendency to blame communal forces for any acts of invasion or burglary.