The vandalism at the Church of Our Lady of Graces in Vikaspuri on Wednesday was the result of a alcohol-fuelled dare, said the Delhi Police after interrogation on Thursday. With the arrest of three men in connection with the incident, the West District police claimed to have solved the case.

The accused have been identified as Narender Singh (33), Ravinder Pal Singh Gill (25) and Harpreet Singh Dhanjal (28). All three are residents of Sant Garh in New Tilak Nagar.

"They had attacked the church in an inebriated condition and were nabbed on the basis of CCTV camera footage. The scooter and a motorcycle used during the incident and clothes worn by the accused have also been seized," said a senior police officer.

The footage revealed a man arriving outside the grotto of the church on a scooter and breaking the grotto’s glass frame with his fist at 4.19 am. He later returned to the spot on his scooter with another man, who arrived there on a motorcycle and then allegedly toppled a statue.

“Ravinder has been identified as the man who broke the glass frame, while Harpreet had toppled the statue,” added the officer. It is alleged that Harpreet had dared Ravinder to vandalise the church, and he himself went ahead when Ravinder broke the glass frame.

Narender works as an aluminum fabricator, Ravinder is an unemployed Delhi University graduate and Harpreet works as an air-conditioner mechanic operating from home.