KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 ― Footage of the man believed to have viciously attacked two nuns outside a Seremban church last week may have been captured on surveillance recordings, despite earlier reports that the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras on site did not manage to record the robbery.

According to Church of Visitation’s parish priest Father John Gnanapiragasam, two of the churches 13 CCTV cameras caught a passing motorcyclist as he made a U-turn at about 6.05am and rode into Gate 2, a minute after the sisters drove into the Church of Visitation compound on May 14.

“The assailant, who was wearing a helmet and holding a lighted torch, ran after the two sisters who were dressed in everyday clothes,” he was quoted as saying by The Star on its website today.

“He was then seen running towards his motorcycle and taking off two minutes later.”

In the attack last week, two elderly nuns — Julianna Lim Nyo Nya, 69, and Marie-Rose Teng, 79 — had their handbags snatched from them at 6am at the main entrance of the Church of Visitation.

Their attacker used a helmet to hit them, leaving Lim in a coma.

Lim’s bag only contained RM10 and three pocket bibles, while Teng’s contained “a little” cash and a mobile phone, according to Negri Sembilan police chief Datuk Osman Salleh.

He also confirmed that the closed-circuit television (CCTV) perched right above the main church entrance, where the attack had occurred, was not working.

“There were 13 CCTVs altogether. The one at the main entrance and another at the side were faulty,” said Osman.

Police later ruled out hate crime in the attack, saying that it was a plain robbery.

Gnanapiragasam also called for the police to set up a beat base there, particularly on Sundays as there had been numerous incidents of break-ins and snatch theft in the area.

“Besides the daily morning masses, the church sees about 5,000 worshippers for the five masses from 6.30am to 1pm on Sundays.

“We hope a police pondok will be set up in front of the church on Sundays and for daily morning patrols to be carried out,” he said.