Church vandalised two days after Christmas celebration in Mysuru, statue of Jesus destroyed

A church in Karnataka's Mysuru district was vandalised Tuesday - two days after Christmas - by a group of as yet unidentified persons who fled after damaging a statue of Jesus Christ as a baby and robbing donation boxes, news agency ANI said this morning.The incident took place at Periyapatna - which is about 70 km from Mysuru city - and images of the vandalised property were soon widely shared online.

Seema Latkar, Superintendent of Mysuru Police, told reporters a team had been formed to investigate the crime and that available CCTV footage is being scanned to establish details.Among the items stolen (or damaged) was money from two collection boxes - one outside the church and another inside. "We have formed a team to nab the culprits. We are also looking for available CCTV footage with nearby cameras. It looks like theft as a money box and other such things have been taken away," Latkar said.