Bareilly: Three people, including a pastor, have been arrested in Bareilly for allegedly luring poor and underprivileged Hindus to convert to Christianity by offering inducements and false promises, police said on Tuesday.
According to officials, the accused were allegedly targeting members of weaker sections and organising gatherings where participants were encouraged to adopt Christianity. Police have launched an investigation to determine how long the alleged activities had been taking place and how many people were involved.
Baradari Station House Officer (SHO) Dhananjay Pandey said that an FIR was registered on October 19 based on complaints filed by Rishabh Thakur, a resident of Subhash Nagar, and Nirdosh Rathore from Nakatia area under Cantt police station.
The complainants alleged that people linked to a Christian missionary had rented a house in the Super City area, where they were coercing Hindu women and children to convert under the guise of conducting prayer meetings and religious gatherings.
The case was registered under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), pertaining to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, and under sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, at Baradari police station.
Those named in the FIR include Pastor Sumit Masey, Amit Masey, Sarita and Satyapal, all residents of Bareilly. While Pastor Sumit Masey, Amit Masey alias Akshay Masey and Sarita, wife of Devendra, were arrested and sent to jail the next day, Satyapal remains absconding.
During interrogation, police said Pastor Masey confessed that the group targeted people from poor, Dalit and socially weaker communities, promising them better living conditions and faith healing in exchange for conversion. Several women and children were allegedly converted through these means, police added.
A preliminary inquiry also indicated that the group sought to influence individuals psychologically and emotionally before introducing them to Christian teachings and scriptures, SHO Pandey said.