PANAJI
An alert maid foiled a burglary by two women at the Our Lady of Rosary Church at Curca on Saturday afternoon, after they were found to have stolen two antique statues from the church while attempting to flee from the site.
Confronted by the maid, the two women abandoned a bag containing the antique statues in the church premises and fled from the site.
Narrating the sequence of events to The Goan, Curca Parish Priest Benjamin Victoria said the incident took place at the 365-year-old church, which is located at an isolated part of the village. The church is closed for most part of the week and only Sunday services and funeral/memorial services are held at the church.
"The parishioners and I had gone for a pilgrimage to participate in the Novena of St Joseph Vaz in Sancoale at 8 am and we had left from the nearby chapel. We returned to the chapel at about 11.15 am and at about 1.30 pm, I got a call from our Church Fabrica attorney that someone had informed him about a burglary at the church," said Fr Victoria.
News of the burglary spread like wildfire and a large number of people from across the village rushed to the site.
"We rushed to the church but did not enter inside, as we had notified Agassaim police and waited till a police team reached the site."
"A maid at a nearby bungalow had noticed two women carrying a sack with them and leaving the church at about 1 pm. The maid raised an alarm and confronted them about the contents of the sack."
"The two women said the sack contained some wood and pleaded with the maid not to disclose the incident. They then abandoned the bag and fled from the site," said Fr Victoria.
The maid then opened the bag to verify contents and found two antique statues, one of Our Lady of the Rosary and another of a saint, Fr Victoria added.
"The antique statue of Our Lady of Rosary is venerated each year during the feast of our church on October 8."
When the police team arrived at the church, they noticed the lock on the sacristy door missing while the side door was also open.
"We are thankful to God that the statues were not taken away from the church
premises and were abandoned by the main gate outside the church. We are now thinking of some security system, to prevent such an incident from taking place in future," he added.
An alert maid foiled a burglary by two women at the Our Lady of Rosary Church at Curca on Saturday afternoon, after they were found to have stolen two antique statues from the church while attempting to flee from the site.
Confronted by the maid, the two women abandoned a bag containing the antique statues in the church premises and fled from the site.
Narrating the sequence of events to The Goan, Curca Parish Priest Benjamin Victoria said the incident took place at the 365-year-old church, which is located at an isolated part of the village. The church is closed for most part of the week and only Sunday services and funeral/memorial services are held at the church.
"The parishioners and I had gone for a pilgrimage to participate in the Novena of St Joseph Vaz in Sancoale at 8 am and we had left from the nearby chapel. We returned to the chapel at about 11.15 am and at about 1.30 pm, I got a call from our Church Fabrica attorney that someone had informed him about a burglary at the church," said Fr Victoria.
News of the burglary spread like wildfire and a large number of people from across the village rushed to the site.
"We rushed to the church but did not enter inside, as we had notified Agassaim police and waited till a police team reached the site."
"A maid at a nearby bungalow had noticed two women carrying a sack with them and leaving the church at about 1 pm. The maid raised an alarm and confronted them about the contents of the sack."
"The two women said the sack contained some wood and pleaded with the maid not to disclose the incident. They then abandoned the bag and fled from the site," said Fr Victoria.
The maid then opened the bag to verify contents and found two antique statues, one of Our Lady of the Rosary and another of a saint, Fr Victoria added.
"The antique statue of Our Lady of Rosary is venerated each year during the feast of our church on October 8."
When the police team arrived at the church, they noticed the lock on the sacristy door missing while the side door was also open.
"We are thankful to God that the statues were not taken away from the church
premises and were abandoned by the main gate outside the church. We are now thinking of some security system, to prevent such an incident from taking place in future," he added.
