Woman brutally murdered at church compound in India
A Christian woman was brutally attacked and murdered at the St. Mary's Cathedral Church compound in Varanasi, India, on Jan. 1, marking the second murder in that city this year, raising concerns among the community, according to local media.
The victim, identified only as Victoria, was believed to be around 50 years old and resided in Gumla, Jharkhand state. She lived with her sister, Retina, in the staff quarters of the church and used to help with work at the church compound.
According to Ronald Benjamin Nadar, a senior member of the church and president of the Uttar Pradesh Catholic Union, the assailant, identified in media reports as Jitendra, also known by his alias Chetu, reportedly entered the church through the back gate while the security guard was away. Seizing the opportunity, he broke into Victoria's room, which was left unattended as Retina had already gone to work around 7:30 a.m. local time.
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When the guard returned to his post, some women informed him about the unidentified man who they had seen enter the compound. The women also informed the guard that they had seen the man go near the staff quarters.
By the time the guard and the women reached the staff quarters to investigate, they heard Victoria’s cries for help. They tried to open the door but it was locked. After they called for help from additional guards they were finally able to force the door open.
They found Victoria on the ground covered in blood. The attacker was found standing over her holding an iron rod and a grinding stone. They captured the attacker and called the police and rushed Victoria to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Government Hospital, but as her condition was severe, she was immediately referred to the Banaras Hindu University Trauma Centre. By the time she was admitted, she was pronounced dead.
This disturbing incident follows the New Year's Day murder of a lawyer in Varanasi.
As per media reports, it is believed that the attacker had attempted to force himself upon the victim and not having been successful in his intentions, had resorted to murder.
Police Commissioner S. Chinnappa later confirmed the arrest of Jitendra to the media.
Victoria’s body was sent for post-mortem, with further actions contingent on the findings of the autopsy report.
Originally published by Christian Today India
