2 men vandalise Delhi church, steal Rs 25 lakh

Two men vandalised a church in north Delhi and stole Rs 25 lakh from the donation box, police said on Saturday.

According to police, the incident took place in Rohini's St Basil Church. Father George Kuriyan Thomos said he opened the front door to prepare for the morning prayers and found various items misplaced.

"When I opened the inner entrance of the church for prayers, I found many things lying on the floor. The window was shattered, the Holy Cross had vandalised and the donation box was found empty," Thomos said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police M.N. Tiwari said that as it was a case of theft in a religious place, local police immediately sent 10 teams to nab the robbers.

"We have examined the CCTV footage and have identified the thieves. They stayed in the church for an hour," Tiwari said.

The church has been vulnerable in the past due to anti-communal attacks and hence a police picket was placed for security, police said.