SEREMBAN, May 15 — The Church of Visitation where two nuns were brutally attacked yesterday is a favourite haunt for snatch thieves with muggings happening weekly, a regular churchgoer said today.
Mary Josephine Prittam Singh said at least one parishioner would have a tale of woe to share every Sunday.
Female parishioners had frequently experienced having their gold chains ripped from around their necks by snatch thieves, she added.
“But they do not want to make police reports because of red tape and the hassle,” Mary Josephine, who is also the Rahang state assemblyman from DAP, told reporters at the Catholic church here.
She also related an incident a few weeks ago where a female parishioner was pushed into a drain as two men on a motorcycle tried to snatch her chain.
“It’s usually a motorbike with two guys who wear full-face helmets, but I’m not sure if it’s the same people each time,” said Mary Josephine.
The police said earlier today that one man assaulted two elderly nuns at 6am at the main entrance of the Church of Visitation yesterday with a helmet, while robbing them of their bags.
Negri Sembilan police chief Datuk Osman said the violent attack left Julianna Lim Nyo Nya, 69, in a coma.
He added that Marie-Rose Teng, 79, has since regained consciousness.
Osman also told reporters here that police statistics did not show the church location at Jalan Yam Tuan to be a crime hotspot.
According to Mary Josephine, the doctor had said that Lim has “irreversible head injuries”.
“She’s not responding very well. Her pressure is dropping,” she said.
She also said Teng had told her that Lim and Teng were reciting prayers while walking around the Catholic church, as light exercise, when they were attacked.
The two nuns were from the Convent of the Holy Infant of Jesus, said Mary Josephine.
