Mumbai: Statue Of St. Anthony Stolen From Church In Byculla
Mumbai, 1st March 2023: A statue of St. Anthony has been stolen from the wall of the mediaeval Gloria Church in Byculla in the most recent act of vandalism targeting city churches.
CCTV footage captured the robber breaking the grille door’s lock and fleeing with the statue on the evening of 21st February, just before Lent began.
A vandal stoned a grotto and a cross close to Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Orlem, Malad, on 23rd February. Previously, on 7th January, the cemetery of St. Michael’s Church, Mahim, was vandalised. In both situations, arrests have been made.
The Byculla police, the parish priest, and activists of NGOs have remained silent. A shop owner named Baptista D’Souza has filed a complaint in this case. D’Souza’s father had gifted the statue to the church several years ago, and D’Souza has been the caretaker.
