Bangladesh, another robbery of Catholic nuns: "It is not an isolated incident"
by Sumon Corraya

A dozen people have raid clinic run by religious, threatening them and stealing phones, cash and gold chains. Resident Muslims and Catholics, warned by the pastor, captured two thieves. The episode takes place four days after a similar attack in another province. Secretary of Justice and Peace: "These attacks are premeditated and intended to harm our Christian community."

 


Dhaka (AsiaNews) - It is the second attack on Catholic nuns in four days.  On the night between February 10 and 11 in Tumilia, a village 47 km from the capital Dhaka, about 12 criminals broke into St. Mary's Catholic Mother Care Center, a hospital clinic run by religious Associate of Mary, Queen of the Apostles (SMRA), a local congregation founded in 1933.

The attack ended without violence and with some stolen items . Two thieves were captured and taken to the police, who have opened an investigation.

On the night between February 6 and 7, a similar incident happened in Chuadanga district, 161 km west of the capital, raising the suspicion that the attacks on Catholic nuns are not just isolated cases.

The Tumilia robbery took place in the buildings housing patients of the Centre, the nuns and nurses. Sister Mary Pronoti, director of the facility, says that at night (local time at 2:30) three men came climbing over the wall. Other accomplices were waiting outside the convent.

After gagging the guards, the three criminals went in search of cash. "They broke down the door of my room - says Sister Mary - and were armed. They threatened me and asked where I held the money. I had no other choice I gave them all the cash we had 700 taka (about 9 Euros) ".

Another nun, Mary Chamaly, noticed that someone had entered the hospital of the convent and immediately called the superior general of the congregation, who resides in Dhaka. The Superior contacted the Tumilia parish priest, Fr. Dominic Rozario, who began to ring the bells of the church, rallying the community. Muslims and Christians flocked to church, where they caught two thieves and the police took them to the station. The other criminals managed to escape.

"They also stole two cell phones - says Sister Mary Book - and several gold chains of hospital nuns."

The secretary of the parish, Philip Corraya, went to the police station to file a complaint.

Theophil Nokrek, secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, said the two recent attacks "are not isolated incidents. Some groups are trying to harm our Christian community. They are doing so with premeditated actions. "

"The government should protect us adequately," he said, adding that a few days ago in the same district a Christian micro credit bank was also robbed.