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	Sister Abhaya Case: Cbi Searches Archbishop's House Times of India November 23, 2008 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Sister_Abhaya_case_CBI_searches_Archbishops_house/articleshow/3748266.cms THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Continuing its investigations into the Sister Abhaya murder case, the CBI on Sunday searched an Archbishop's house in Kottayam district and questioned more witnesses. A special CBI team searched the official residence of the Archbishop of the Knanaya Catholic sect and seized some papers from the room of the prime accused, Father Thomas M Kottur, who is also the Chancellor of the Kottayam diocese. Despite the arrest of three accused -- two priests and a nun -- the agency is grappling with shortage of evidence. Much of the evidence collected during the initial years like the nun's veil, clothes, slippers, diary and photographs of the body showing injury marks were hastily destroyed by the local police, which had ruled it as a case of suicide. The agency believes this was part of a conspiracy to seal the case for ever. The team also questioned Achamma, the servant of the St Pious X convent hostel where sister Abhaya was allegedly killed and former assistant sub-inspector V V Augustine who was present when her body was brought up from the convent well. Sleuths had noted incongruities in Augustine's statements on the recovery of the body. The agency is also likely to question retired IPS officer K T Micheal, who headed the crime branch team that probed the case following initial investigations by the local police. Forced on the back foot after allegations that it had tried to influence the probe, the Church on Sunday said it was the first to demand a probe into the murder. A pastoral letter read in Knanaya churches after the Sunday mass urged the laity to treat those arrested as innocent unless proved otherwise.
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