Police claimed such meets were organised in rural areas in the guise of birthday parties. Agra: Four people of an inter-state network allegedly involved in religious conversion through ‘changai sabhas’ (healing meets) were arrested from a village in Agra district on Thursday.
An FIR was registered at Saiyyan police station under BNS Section 112(2) (punishment for petty organised crime) and Sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. DCP Agra (West) Aditya said, “We launched an investigation and found that villagers had gathered for a healing meet in the garb of celebrating a birthday party.
“During interrogation, it was revealed that they were part of an inter-state network operating in UP, MP, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Punjab,” Aditya added. People were being promised relief from illnesses such as epilepsy and asthma, pain and were allegedly being lured and motivated to convert. ” Police arrested Vineet Vedi and Buntu alias Dongar Singh, both from Rajasthan, and Mukhraj and Pratap Singh , both from Agra. Police suspect the network had been involved in similar activities in these states in the past three years and had been active in Saiyyan area for the past couple of months.
Police said they received information on Wednesday night about an alleged conversion gathering at a village in Saiyyan area.
Allegations of Targeted Exploitation by Accused Group
Officials have reported that a group allegedly operated in a systematic manner, first selecting specific venues before reaching out to individuals experiencing health issues or financial and family difficulties. The accused reportedly utilized social media platforms to identify potential targets. Furthermore, they are said to have received financial incentives based on the number of individuals they engaged with, as dictated by assigned targets.