Mumbai: Two priests of Mt Mary Church booked for theft, criminal intimidation

MUMBAI: Acting on a Mumbai court's direction, Bandra police registered an FIR on Jan 19 against five persons, including two priests and three security guards of Mount Mary Basilica in Bandra, for allegedly "stealing" construction materials from an open plot in March 2025.Police said complainant Robinson Gonsalves had kept material on his open plot when he learnt that it was being loaded into a tempo by the accused. He approached a court in Bandra after police did not register his compliant. Police later registered a case under BNS sections, including 303 (theft), 329 (criminal trespass) and 351 (criminal intimidation).However, Adv Nigel Qureshi representing Mt Mary Basilica, said, "The FIR seems to have been registered after a complaint made before the metropolitan magistrate at Bandra purportedly filed on May 14, 2025, pertaining to property belonging to the church... Robin has been trying multiple tactics to grab the property, and multiple FIRs have been filed against him. The church has also filed a suit in the Bombay High Court.

At a hearing on May 5, 2025, the HC directed status quo as on that day to be maintained. We will be taking appropriate legal action."(With PTI inputs)