Nun attacked after she confronted gang of 12 robbers in convent

  

A nun aged 75 has been gang-raped by a group of up to eight robbers in India in the latest attack to shock the country.

She is in a serious condition in hospital after confronting the gang of 12 men who broke into the Christian missionary school in eastern India, police said.

Officers are searching for the bandits who escaped with cash, a mobile phone, a laptop computer and a camera belonging to the school. 

The attack was carried out by seven or eight robbers at the Convent of Jesus and Mary School in West Bengal state's Nadia district, investigators said. 

Police Inspector General Anuj Sharma said: 'A preliminary investigation has revealed that a nun at the school was gagged and gang-raped. Two people have so far been arrested.'

Indian media reported that the gang broke into the convent and tied up the security guard before going on the rampage. It is alleged that three other nuns were assault and suffered injury in the violent attack.

Furious local residents took to the streets in anger, shouting slogans demanding action and blocking off the main highway.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted her condemnation of what she called a 'horrific attack', promising 'swift, strongest action'.