Police investigating the murder of a seminary rector in southern
India say a priest at the center of their investigation knows who the
killers are.Investigators subjected Father Patrick Xavier, procurator of Bangalore’s St Peter’s Pontifical seminary, to a narco-analysis test in July and "are now examining his statements," a police officer involved in the case told ucanews.com yesterday on condition of anonymity.
A narco-analysis test is a form of questioning where the subject is placed into a chemically induced hypnotic state.
“He [the priest] knows the culprits; at least one or two of them," the officer said, adding that they do not believe the priest was directly involved in the crime. "But he knows at least some part of the story."
The priest is a complainant as well as a suspect in the case, in which Father K J Thomas, 62, was found bludgeoned to death at the seminary on April 1, while the seminarians and most of the staff were away on vacation.
Father Xavier, who was sleeping in the room next to the rector’s, discovered the body.
The statements he made in the narco-test hold "vital clues to help crack the case," the officer said.
The recordings however are not proof in court and therefore police have to follow any leads provided by the narco test to find reliable evidence to make an arrest.
"We are definitely on the right track, and you will see arrests sooner than later," the officer said about the four-month-old murder case.
Police have made similar statements since the investigation began but could not make any arrests so far amid speculations that some are lobbying to hush up the case.
"We have no hurdles in the investigation and no pressures," the officer said, adding that Church people are also extending their support as they are also anxious to "see the truth" behind the crime emerge.