Four men were arrested in connection with the attack on the St George Catholic church in New Panvel, Mumbai, last Saturday, after a 48 hour deadline was set by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the arrest of the culprits.
Those arrested were Rahul Patil, 39, Anilchandra Chavan, 27, Lakshman Sugwekar, 21, and Mohammed Tabrek Shaikh, 20. Patil was identified as a gambling den owner who operated near the church.
According to Fadnavis, the suspects have confessed to the crime and are now being charged with mischief injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class, The Hindu reports.
"The reports received shows the motive was revenge. There is nothing to suggest the role of any political or social organisation at the moment," Fadnavis said.
Based on an investigation, Patil planned the attack on the church because he suspected church leaders of making a report to local authorities which led to the raid of his establishment on March 19.
Patil reportedly enlisted the help of his son-in-law Sugwekar and two accomplices, who were seen in CCTV footage carrying out the attack two days after the raid. The culprits were seen wearing masks and hurling stones in the church compound. The attack resulted in damage to the glass enclosure of an image of St George.
Following the arrest, Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner KL Prasad ruled out any connection between the incident and other church vandalisms in Delhi and Haryana that have threatened the Christian community.
Still, not all are convinced that there is no political motive behind the attack. Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse, in a state Assembly, maintained that the government suspects a "foreign hand in the incident."
"There is a possibility of a political motive behind the attack. I also suspect a foreign hand. We will catch the culprits and the truth will be tabled on the floor of the House," Khadse said.
