A significant breakthrough has been made in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, as a religious conversion racket has been exposed and the mastermind behind it has been apprehended. Reports suggest that scheduled caste individuals were enticed to convert to Christianity with promises of miraculous cures and incentives.
The suspect had been on the run for days
According to an agency, DCP (South) Nipurn Aggarwal confirmed that the accused, identified as Malkhan (43) from Baktauri Kheda, was arrested on Hulas Kheda Road on Sunday.
In the company of Additional DCP Ralapalli Vasant Kumar and area ACP Rajneesh Verma, Aggarwal elaborated that after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against him, the suspect had evaded capture. However, a dedicated police team tracked him down and apprehended him.
The police statement reveals that Malkhan converted one of his farm structures into a makeshift church, hosting gatherings every Sunday and Thursday where he assembled women and children from scheduled caste communities. He enticed them with promises of healing and lured them with incentives.
During these gatherings, participants were pressured to adopt Christianity. The police noted that Malkhan himself had converted and even renamed his children and relatives with Christian names. Additionally, he operated a WhatsApp group under the name 'Yesu Changai Sabha' to reach out to scheduled caste members.
Police initiate investigation against the accused
Upon his arrest, police recovered two books based on biblical teachings and other promotional materials. His financial sources are under scrutiny, and the police are reaching out to individuals who may have been converted.
A First Information Report has been filed under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021, at the Nigoha Police Station. DCP South awarded the arresting police team a cash reward of 25,000 INR for their effort.
