Investigations are currently ongoing after a witness in the trial involving an Indian Catholic bishop who allegedly raped a nun was found dead weeks after giving his testimony.
Father Kuriakose Kattuthara was around 62 years old, police said. He died just weeks after giving his testimony in the case against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who has been accused of raping a nun on multiple occasions over two years.
Mulakkal, who is based in northern Punjab state, is accused of raping the nun during visits to Kerala state in the south of India. He denies the charges and is currently out on bail, awaiting trial.
“He (Kattuthara) passed away last night. We are going to investigate the circumstances around his death and there will be an autopsy,” said A.R. Sharma, a senior police official in Punjab.
Kattuthara was a priest in the village of Dasuya in Punjab. He was among dozens of witnesses who are due to testify in Mulakkal’s trial in Kerala.
The case is a rare example of a nun publicly accusing a Church superior of wrongdoing. Read more