The Vatican is taking keen interest in the investigation into the murder
of seminary rector Fr. K J Thomas and is reported to have pressurized
top political leaders to speed up the probe.“The pressure to solve the case increased after the Vatican ambassador began pursuing the matter with certain political leaders in the country,” said a police official.
The St. Peter's Seminary in Bangalore, where the priest was a rector, works under the direct supervision of the Vatican.
His murder has therefore been of particular concern to the Vatican.
“Our higher-ups told us they had received special orders from state Home Minister K. J. George that this particular case had to be given special attention. However, we have not found any leads that could help us,” the official added.
Fr. Thomas, 62, was found by another priest lying in a pool of blood in a corridor near his room at St. Peter's Seminary in Bangalore on April 1.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Fr Thomas was attacked after answering a knock on his door.
The city police and the city crime branch are probing the case and have questioned nearly 50 suspects. But they haven’t made any headway.
Police are not ruling out that the murderers may have been just first-time offenders who came merely to steal and killed Fr. Thomas when he caught them in the act.