Police grill Bishop Franco Mulakkal for eight hours

SP says interrogation to be completed today, further action after detailed analysis of all facts

September 20, 2018 09:03 pm | Updated September 21, 2018 12:25 am IST - KOCHI

Bishop Franco Mulakkal (2nd R), accused of raping a nun, is pictured outside a crime branch office on the outskirts of Kochi in the southern state of Kerala, India, September 19, 2018. Picture taken September 19, 2018. REUTERS/Sivaram V

Bishop Franco Mulakkal (2nd R), accused of raping a nun, is pictured outside a crime branch office on the outskirts of Kochi in the southern state of Kerala, India, September 19, 2018. Picture taken September 19, 2018. REUTERS/Sivaram V

Belying the speculation about his imminent arrest, the investigation team probing the case against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who stands accused of raping a nun, decided to continue its interrogation on Friday after grilling him for over eight hours on Thursday.

That he was not arrested was the silver lining for the bishop on a day when Pope Francis accepted his request to be temporarily relieved of his pastoral duties as head of the Jalandhar diocese of the Catholic Church.

The interrogation started shortly after 11 a.m. at the hi-tech interrogation cell in the Crime Branch (CB) office at Thripunithura.

It came close on the heels of seven hours of grilling on Wednesday by a team led by Hari Sanker, Superintendent of Police, Kottayam; and K. Subhash, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vaikom.

The bishop has been asked to appear for further interrogation on Friday at 10.30 a.m.

Emerging from the interrogation shortly after the bishop had left for the day at 7.03 p.m, Mr. Sanker said the interrogation would be completed on Friday and a decision would be taken based on a detailed analysis of all facts.

“The majority of the facts are already known to us except for 10% that need further verification. Three teams will fan across various places, which cannot be disclosed for obvious reasons related to the investigation, and complete the verification overnight,” he said.

Asked whether the bishop’s anticipatory bail plea pending before the High Court was a deterrent to his arrest, Mr. Sanker said the investigation team had already made legal consultations on the matter.

A decision regarding arrest cannot be made halfway through the interrogation and was dependent on the investigation, interrogation and evidence collected. He declined to disclose whether the bishop had made any untrustworthy statements during the course of the interrogation.

Immediate decision

The officer said no further analysis would be needed once the interrogation was completed and an immediate decision could be taken thereafter. “The investigation team was not rushing the probe but was progressing slowly after painstakingly clarifying even minute details,” Mr. Sanker said.

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