From Daijiworld's special correspondent in Panaji - Saturday, Mar 18 - 10-15 am

Panaji, Mar 18: Fr Eusebio Ferrao (60), of St Francis Church in Macasana in south Goa was found murdered in the early hours of the morning on Saturday, March 18, in the presbytery of the church.

Neither the motive of the killing nor the identity of the murderers is known.

Visitors to the church are said to have spotted priest lying dead around 6-20 am on Saturday, while the cook of the priest's house was found bound with ropes and gagged.

The parishioners having alerted the Maina-Curtorim police station the soon after, a team from there has rushed to the spot. Investigations are on and details are awaited.

Updates, when received, will be posted on this website.

Update: Saturday, Mar 18: 10-45 am

The Macasana parish, dedicated to the patron saint of Goa, St Francis Xavier, was set up in 1809 and is situated in the southern subprovince of Curtorim.

According to the last available records, it has a Catholic population of 3,200.

Saturday, 11-00 am: A reader from Goa informs:
 
Fr Eusebio Ferrao, a diocesan priest, Konknni writer and the parish priest of Macasana Parish in South Goa, was found dead by parishoners on Saturday morning.

Since he did not come to celebrate the mass, a few parishoners went to Parish house to check. To their horror they found Fr Ferrao fallen on the ground in the parish house. His cook was found locked inside a room.

It is suspected that the previous (Friday) night his "friends" arrived from North India and stayed with the priest. They had dinner together.

It is suspected that these "friends" murdered him by suffocation. Nobody knows the detail.

Update: Saturday, 11-15 am:

Daijiworld's special correspondent has rushed from Panaji to Macasana, situated 45 kms away, from where he reports:

This correspondent is now near the mortal remains of Fr Ferrao. Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao rushed here on hearing the news and offered a special Mass for the repose of the departed soul.

The Archbishop has urged the authorities to nab the culprits and bring them to justice.

Three persons from Uttar Pradesh are said to have stayed with Fr Ferrao and had dinner with him. Since they are missing from the scene and their identity is not known, they are suspected to have got rid of him.

They are said to have used a pillow to suffocate him.