MEERUT (UP): Four more people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in religious conversions here, taking the total number of arrests to eight, police said on Sunday.
They have been booked under Section 3, 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Conversion Prohibition Act following a complaint by residents of Mangatapuram Colony here.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rohit Singh Sajwan said the four fresh arrests were made on Saturday night.
Those arrested are identified as Anil, Sardar, Nikku and Basant. Four others Binwa, Prema, Titli and Reena were arrested earlier. Another accused Chhabili alias Shiva is absconding, police said.
During COVID-19, some people provided food and financial assistance to the poor in Mangatapuram Colony and then allegedly forced them to convert to Christianity, the police said.
According to the complaint, the accused also removed pictures of Hindu deities from their houses.
"On protesting or complaining, the accused come home with knives and sticks and threaten to kill," the complaint stated.
While there is no mention of the number of conversions, local BJP leader Deepak Sharma claimed that more than 100 people had allegedly been converted to Christianity.
"This has been going on for the past three years. During the COVID-19 period, people were given ration and money to convert to Christianity. Now, other people are being threatened to convert as well," Sharma alleged.