Though five persons have been arrested for the alleged rape of a nun in riot-hit Kandhamal, the Orissa police found it tough in tracing her
BHUBANESWAR: Though five persons have been arrested for the alleged rape of a nun in riot-hit Kandhamal, the Orissa police found it tough in tracing her and finally asked its all-women team to return from Delhi on Wednesday after a futile search there.
Official sources said, "We have been unable to trace the alleged rape victim so far. The police had formed three teams to trace the nun," Home Secretary T K Mishra said.
He said efforts were on to contact the nun who had lodged an FIR alleging rape during the Orissa bandh on August 25.
Mishra said the government had already urged the church leaders to cooperate with the police to carry forward investigation so that the culprits could be punished.
"But we have not received any response from anybody," he said.
The police had meanwhile searched the nun at her native village in Sambalpur district and another all-women team headed by IG rank officer B Radhika also failed to get any trace on the whereabouts of the nun.
"We are planning to send another team to Kerala," a senior home department official said, adding that the government had reiterated its appeal to the alleged victim to cooperate in investigation.
"We have assured the nun and others in the community of all kinds of security, if they come forward to cooperate in the investigation," DGP Manmohan Praharaj said.
He said the police could make arrangements for speedy completion of investigation into the matter.
Superior-General of the Missionaries of Charity Sister Nirmala after meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had said that the nun would be "found" if proper atmosphere is provided.
While the government had no information on the whereabouts of the nun, the Catholic Church leaders also expressed their helplessness in tracing her.
"I do not know the whereabouts of the nun. However, I can say that she is in a state of shock and yet to recover from the ordeal she faced in Kandhamal," Father Joseph Kalathil, the parish priest and Vicar-General of the Bhubaneswar Catholic Church, said.
Condemning the incident, another minority community leader Swarupananda Patra said he was not aware of the whereabouts of the nun.
While a rumour in the state capital was that the nun is very much in Bhubaneswar, Commissioner of Police B K Sharma denied it.
"The nun is not in Bhubaneswar, I can assure you," Sharma said adding the police had provided security to all the institutions run by the Missionaries of Charity here.
A top police officer in the crime branch said the presence of the nun is essential for conducting a test identification parade as the alleged victim had told a private TV channel that she can identify the culprits.
"Probe in the case will be severely affected if she does not turn up," he said.
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