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Dubai: A nun was found dead inside a well in Kollam city in the Indian state of Kerala.

On Sunday, news agency, Asian News International (@ANI) tweeted: “Kerala: A 55-year-old nun found dead inside a well in Mount Tabor Dayara Convent in Kollam’s Pathanapuram. More details awaited.”

According to local media in Kerala, the staff members of the convent found the nun’s body at around 9am on Sunday. The police were informed about the incident and are investigating the cause of the death.

According to the police, workers at the Mount Tabor Convent, attached to the Orthodox Church, first found blood stains near the well and then saw the body floating inside the well. After the police and the fire force retrieved the body, it was identified as that of Susan Mathew by the people in the convent.

Sister Susan Mathew had been working as a teacher at the St Stephen’s School in Pathanapuram for the past 12 years.

According to a report on the news website, News 18: “According to initial information, the nun was under treatment for several diseases. Reports said there was blood as well as signs of the body being dragged near the well. Blood stains are visible in the nun’s room too, leading the police to treat the death as suspicious. They are waiting for the postmortem report to proceed.”

Local reports in Kollam also say that Mathew, who used to stay alone in a room in the convent, had rejoined work on Friday after a weeklong leave. Other inmates of the convent claimed she had some health issues and had refused to attend the morning prayer sessions.

The news outlet, The News Minute quoted Kollam Rural Superintendent of police, Ashokan, who said: “The nun was taking treatment for an illness for the last several years. She had consulted the doctor yesterday as well. Another nun in the convent told us she was depressed over her sickness. Today morning, the other nuns saw her till 8am. They asked her if she was coming along with them to the church. She said no and stayed back at the convent. After the other nuns returned from the church, they saw the dead body inside the well.”

Indian Twitter users highlighted the issue of safety that nuns in Kerala are facing.

Tweep @Abhinav10808763 posted: “Now another nun Susan Mathew, has been found dead inside a well in Kerala, Kollam. The well is situated inside a Christian religious institution. What’s happening with all the nuns?”