Kerala nun rape case: Victim's sister alleges death threats from accused bishop's aides

Kottayam/Kochi: The sister of Kerala nun, who has accused former Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal of raping her, on Monday alleged that she was being threatened of dire consequences by the close aides of the accused in the case. She even filed a formal police complaint in this regard.

The woman alleged that she and her family had received death threats apparently from the close aides of the accused bishop - Franco Mulakkal.

In her complaint to the state DGP, Kottayam SP and Kalady Circle Inspector, the woman said that she and her family needed police protection.

Due to hatred, brothers of Franco filed fake complaints against me.Thomas Chittuparamban,a relative of Franco threatened to cause danger to my son & brother. One of his relative named Unni took a photo of me protesting & later threatened me:Sister of Kerala nun rape case's victim — ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2018

Mulakkal, who was arrested on charges of repeatedly raping a nun, was remanded to a 12-day judicial custody by a court in Kerala's Kottayam district on Monday.

Mulakkal was produced before the Pala magistrate court after completion of his two-day police custody. The court remanded him to judicial custody till October 6. 

The clergyman has been shifted to the sub-jail in Pala after a medical examination at a hospital there.

Meanwhile, the priest also moved a bail plea in the Kerala High Court on Monday, after it was rejected by the magistrate court on Saturday. 

Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan posted the plea on Thursday for consideration.

The court said the anticipatory bail plea filed by the bishop last week had become infructuous with his arrest.

A high court division bench, comprising Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar, on Monday disposed a bunch of petitions, including those seeking protection to the nun and a court-monitored probe, in view of the police action against the senior priest. 

Another petition seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was withdrawn.

On Sunday, the bishop was taken to the St Francis Mission Home in Kuravilangad, where he had allegedly raped the nun at a guest house, to reconstruct the crime scene.

In its remand report submitted in the court, police had said the nun was subjected to rape and unnatural sex 13 times by the accused between 2014 and 2016.

In her complaint in June, the nun had alleged that the priest raped her in May 2014 and sexually-exploited her on several occasions. 

The nun claimed that she approached the police as church authorities did not act on her repeated complaints against the clergyman.

The accused bishop has denied the charges made against him by the victim. 

(With PTI inputs)