Lucknow: Seven suspects were arrested in Lucknow for allegedly operating an interstate religious conversion racket that targeted villagers by offering medical treatment, financial assistance, marriage support and promises of children to induce religious conversions.Police identified the accused as Daniel (58), his wife Subala (51), Chandrabhan (50), his wife Aarti (40), Seema (35), Sheela (39), and Ajay Rawat (46). They were booked under Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act and BNS.According to complainant Amit Kumar, a resident of Bharsawa village, the accused allegedly pressured him and other villagers repeatedly to embrace Christianity, claiming they would be blessed with children if converted. The accused frequently urged villagers to attend church meetings and threatened them when they resisted, the FIR stated.Investigation revealed that the accused visited villages at night, organised meetings, and attempted to influence residents. One witness claimed he was taken to church on the pretext of treatment for knee pain and was later pressured to adopt Christianity. When he refused, an alleged altercation ensued. Investigators said the accused relied on inducements, deceptive means and psychological pressure to carry out religious conversion.Daniel told cops that he was born as Bala Subrahmanyam in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district and converted to Christianity at age 16 before marrying Subala, a Christian from Kanyakumari. After their marriage, they were instructed by the Church in Kanyakumari to move to Lucknow in 1998 to undertake religious outreach, and he was appointed as a pastor for the Varanasi circle, he claimed. Daniel claimed the organisation assigned annual conversion targets and encouraged workers to attract people on various pretexts. Police seized an SUV, a religious book, booklets related to religious conversion, marriage documents and photocopies of bank statements.
