Nun’s death: Police intensify probe

The Kerala Police on Thursday decided to intensify the investigation into the death of Sr Mary Ancy (48), a Christian nun of Fathima Matha Convent at Poonkulam near the famous Kovalam beach resort off Thiruvananthapuram. The nun’s body was found in a waste water tank in the convent on Wednesday morning.

A meeting of top police officials on Thursday instructed the investigators to step up the probe by questioning more people in the context of the local residents’ complaint that there was mystery behind the nun’s death. The police have already questioned about 50 persons including some of the inmates of the convent.

The post-mortem report has not identified any injury marks on the nun’s body. It has confirmed that her virginity was not lost and that there were no factors that pointed to the possibility of murder. However, officials said that there were contradictions in some of the statements given by the convent authorities.

The post-mortem report said there were traces of water from the tank in her lungs and that blood had come out of the nose but there were no injury marks on the body. The forensic experts who conducted detailed examination at the site had not got finger prints or any other significant clues.

The post-mortem has put the time of death as between 1.00 am and 1.30 am but an inmate in the convent had said that she had seen Sr Mary Ancy reading some book at about 5.00 am. The police said that a clear picture would emerge only after the detailed post-mortem report and the result of the forensic examinations were available after three days.

The police would now question the doctor who had treated her for allergy which she had been suffering from and the doctor who had performed the post-mortem. Sr Mary Ancy, hailing from Kottayam, had been an inmate of the convent for the past 21 years. She was working as a teacher in the Holy Cross lower primary school adjacent to the convent.

A police official said it was doubtful whether the nun with health problems could remove the heavy concrete lid of the water tank alone. The narrowness of the manhole of the waste water pit where the body was found also was reason for mystery. The police were also examining whether the nun could have fallen into the tank accidentally during morning walk.

Sr Rosy, House Superior of the convent, told the police that Sr Mary Ancy was under a great deal of stress due to the allergies she was suffering from for over a week. The body was found on Wednesday morning when other nuns searched for her after she failed to appear for the breakfast after morning prayers.

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