Conversion Racket In UP Busted: 18 Arrested

The Uttar Pradesh police said that they have busted a conversion racket in Azamgarh. 18 people of a gang have been arrested for allegedly carrying to illegal conversions to Islam in a slum pocket, the police also said.

Among those held in the crackdown that took place last week was the alleged mastermind Sikandar from Barabanki. The police are now looking into who these accused persons had allegedly approached and managed to convert.

Sikander and his accomplices dressed up an area in the slim on slum in Devgaon area's Chirkihit village like a shrine and used it to lure people with lucrative offers. They also are alleged to have praised Islam and condemned Hinduism.

When the cops reached the spot, qawwali and discourse sessions were on with a big crowd. Additional forces had been called in to control the gathering while the arrests were made.

The accused have been booked under the UP Unlawful Religious Conversion Prohibition Ordinance. If convicted the accused can be jailed to a term of 10 years. The law clearly states that an accused can be convicted if the conversion is through misinformation, force, unlawfully or by such deceitful and dishonest means.

The police said that Sikander and the others had confessed during their interrogation to have mobilised people for conversion at this event. They also said that they had received funds for the same.