Police investigating the rape of an elderly nun in the Indian state of West Bengal have made their first arrest, more than 12 days after the crime.
Several
men were earlier detained by the police for questioning, but no-one had been
arrested so far.The
incident caused outrage in India and led to street protests in many cities
across the country.
Six
alleged attackers were caught on CCTV as they burgled the convent before raping
the 74-year-old woman. The
images, from the Convent of Jesus and Mary, were released by police who offered
a reward of 100,000 rupees ($1,500; £1,000) for any information.
The
man was arrested in Mumbai and has been taken to Kolkata (Calcutta), the
capital of West Bengal, senior police official Rajeev Kumar told BBC Hindi.
He
identified the arrested man as Mohammad Salim Sheikh but refused to say whether
he was one of the men were caught on camera.
The
attackers ransacked the convent school in Ranaghat town on 14 March and stole
money before raping the nun in the convent itself.
The
men also stole money from the school, vandalised the chapel, broke open the
tabernacle and took away the ciborium, the sacred vessel used during Mass.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi expressed "deep concern" over the attack and
Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee promised swift and strong action
against those involved.
In
recent months, there have been several attacks in India on churches and
Christian institutions, leading to insecurity among the community.
But
it is not clear whether the assault on the convent was sectarian.
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