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Dear All,

I found this interesting news-item relating to Catholic Churches and Chapels in Goa.

It seems that some criminal group associated with a Hindu Extremist Group according to the Retired Inspector General of Police of Goa is stripping a lot of Catholic Churches and Chapels of "Priceless Artefact's" and then selling them to interested buyers on the Internet or in European Countries through an organized racket that exists in some European Countries as well as in India.

This Article and a couple more like this, appeared in a number of Newspapers in Goa like the Navhind Times, The Herald, as well as in Bombay like the Times of India since November 2005.

It seems that Robberies at Catholic Chapels and Churches in Goa have now reached Epidemic Proportions since September 2005 when the first few incidents began.

India: Churches and Chapels in Goa are under threat from an organized racket
MSN CPPnet (Ton Cremers) museum-security at museum-security.org
Sat Nov 12 07:53:31 CET 2005
Racket denudes Goan Catholic Churches of priceless artefacts

Pushpa Iyengar
Friday, November 11, 2005 23:57 IST

PANAJI: Antique statues and rare paintings, housed in churches and chapels
in Goa, are under threat from an organised racket to plunder the Union
Territory's rich heritage.

On November 1, burglars made an abortive attempt to steal a statue of the
Infant Jesus concealed in a bullet-proof vault at the Colva church in South
Goa. The total value of the statue, the gold, and the jewellery, including a
16th-century diamond ring, is valued at Rs 1 crore.

Thieves broke the lock on the door leading to the pulpit, but could not get
their hands on the statue, and instead had to settle for the cash in the
donation box. The botched robbery attempt was discovered by the 4,000
parishioners who came the next morning for Mass on All Souls' Day.

But St Anne's Chapel, at Marra, Pilerne, in North Goa, was not so lucky. A
200-year-old ivory statue was among the nine statues and artefacts,
estimated to be worth Rs 15 lakh, that were robbed. The 65-cm-tall statue
was valued at Rs 8 lakh.

Barely days after the Pilerne theft, burglars struck again and stole seven
statues worth Rs 80,000 from Our Lady of Assumption Chapel at Guirim, North Goa.

Two other statues were found desecrated inside the chapel. Another major
theft occurred at St Joaquim's chapel at Borda, Margao, in which more
valuable antiques were robbed.

What is also emerging, though, is that unscrupulous buyers are willing to
fence the artefacts over the Internet. One such message reads: "Straight
from Goa, a rare antique statue of St Ignatius de Loyola, in excellent
condition; also, an 18th century Indo-Portuguese Pieta, of direct Goan
provenance, for sale on the Internet."

Art collectors often come across such stolen antiques while scouring the
Internet. And it is also clear that while the burglaries are committed by
local gangs, their handlers are elsewhere, and a part of some organised
network.

The ASI says less than 30 per cent of antiquities are registered. One aspect
is the outdated Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, under which it is illegal to export art objects that are over 100 years old; however, the Act itself contains no teeth to empower police and customs officials to enforce it.

P.S.- BearWash, you may be interested in the specifics of this article as will any Freeper who is an Indian Catholic and from Goa, Mumbai, etc.