Two Christians have been arrested in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly carrying out illegal religious conversions, police said on Monday.
Superintendent of Police Rajesh Dwivedi told PTI that Harjeet and Sunita Masih were taken into custody on September 15 for “luring people into conversion on the pretext of curing ailments and through other inducements.” Police also claimed to have recovered a large quantity of religious literature from them.
“In recent weeks, two similar cases were detected in Sidhauli and one in Nigohi, where people linked to Christian missionary activities were arrested and sent to jail,” Dwivedi said. He added that earlier investigations had found evidence of financial support from various trusts, though the matter had not been pursued further.
To probe the funding and alleged wider network, police have now formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT). “The SIT will look into the sources of financial assistance, monitor the activities of the accused, and assess how many people have already been converted. I will personally review its work every week,” Dwivedi said.
The SIT will be led by a circle officer and will include officials from the Special Operations Group (SOG), surveillance and cyber cells, along with investigating officers from the concerned police stations.
Harjeet and Sunita Masih have been booked under relevant sections and sent to jail, officials confirmed.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com.