Udupi: Unidentified miscreants damaged the statue of St. Anthony placed at the compound entrance of the St. Anthony’s Chapel at Kandlur village near Kundapur, about 50 km from Udupi.

According to the police, the damage to the 1.5-ft.-long statue took place between 11 p.m. on Sunday and 6.30 a.m. on Monday. The statue was kept in a small concrete structure covered by glass casing on three sides and two windowpanes on the other side.

One of the windowpanes was removed, the police said. The incident came to light when a devotee came to worship at the chapel at around 7 a.m.

The chapel authorities immediately informed the police. Fr. Vishal Lobo, parish priest of Basrur, told The Hindu on Monday that there had been no history of enmity between Christians and other communities in Kandlur. “I do not suspect anyone. But the damage to the statue appears to be a deliberate act as the miscreants have not touched the donation box nearby,” he said A dog squad and a team of fingerprint experts were also pressed into service. But, as it had rained on Sunday night, they were hardly able to yield results.

A case has been registered at the Kundapur police station under Section 295 (Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and investigations were on.

“A special team to probe the incident has been formed under the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Kundapur Sub-Division Manjunath Shetty. We are investigating the case from multiple angles,” said Superintendent of Police K. Annamalai.

The 43-year-old St. Anthony’s Chapel is located on 1.33 acres of land at Kandlur village about 5 km from Basrur. The distance from the compound gate to the chapel is less than 100 metres.

The upgradation of the chapel to an independent church was announced three months ago. Most Rev. Dr. Gerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi Catholic Diocese, who visited the chapel on June 5, reiterated the same.

“A new parish priest will take charge on June 10,” Fr. Lobo said.