A German couple and four others were detained on Thursday for their alleged involvement in illegal religious conversions from a rented house in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar, located close to the India-Pakistan
border.
According to a report by the Times of India, German nationals Swan Baz Bat Jaler and his wife Sandra, Santosh Varghese from Karnataka, Mathew from Kerala, Baljinder Singh Khosa, and Rajesh Kamboj alias Poppy, were identified as the main accused.
Police said the German couple had recently visited an area near the international border that fell under restricted zones. Foreign nationals are not allowed in these areas without prior authorisation, and so it raised red flags for security agencies who probed how they gained access.
The investigation uncovered the accused’s involvement in religious conversions. “A case has been registered under the religious conversion law based on a complaint,” said SP Amrita Duhan.
Furthermore, senior police officials expressed concern over the movement of foreign nationals in restricted border areas and are currently investigating whether the German couple visited other prohibited locations as well. Multiple agencies are likely to question the couple and verify their travel history, including the purpose of their visit, visa details and more.
In a separate incident, at least ten people were arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur this month in connection with an alleged religious conversion case here, officials told news agency PTI. The complainant alleged that the accused were luring villagers with money and other inducements under the pretext of propagating a particular religion and attempting to convert them.
