CCTV grabs of the men who attacked a convent school in Ranaghat, West Bengal
Two men have been arrested in the case of an elderly nun who was raped earlier this month in Bengal, triggering angry protests across the country.
The first suspect, identified as Sikander Sheikh alias Salim, was picked up in south Mumbai last night and has been flown to Kolkata. Another man was arrested today near Kolkata for allegedly harbouring the gang that attacked the nun at her convent.
The nun, who is 71, needed surgery after she was attacked earlier this month when a gang of robbers broke into the convent school where she lived in Ranaghat, about 80 kms from Kolkata.
Police identified four of the six robbers through CCTV footage and had detained eight people for questioning. But no arrests were made until Wednesday and authorities in Kolkata had faced criticism over the pace of progress in the investigation.
Last week, the West Bengal government said it was handing over the case to the country's premier investigating agency, the CBI, after coming under fire over the lack of arrests.
The assault exacerbated the fears of the country's Christian minority following a spate of attacks on churches.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised a crackdown on religious violence and has said he was deeply concerned about the attack on the nun. Police have launched a gang-rape inquiry, although officers say only one person sexually assaulted the nun.