Who funded the Delhi pastor ‘mastermind’ in Meerut mass conversion? Agencies looking at foreign sources

Meerut: In the case of alleged forcible religious conversion of nearly 400 Hindus in Mangatpuram slum, officials said on Monday, they were in search of the Delhi-based pastor, who is claimed to the mastermind of the conspiracy. The cops are also probing foreign funding angle in the case. The matter had come to light hundreds of slum dwellers, mostly pushcart vendors, had revealed to cops that some Christian missionaries vandalised their homes, broke images of Hindu gods after catching them celebrating Diwali, years after converting to Christianity. The alleged that during COVID19 lockdown, the Christian missionaries these slum-dwellers to convert to Christianity in lieu of food and financial help. What happened? The slum-dwellers claimed that they had accepted the favours as they could not step out due to lockdown and struggled to manage their households. They even started visiting church, however, after sometime they realised that their faith could not be changed. When they confronted the missionaries over this, the accused allegedly asked them to pay Rs 2 Lakh each for opting out and also vandalised their houses, broke idols and tore pictures of Hindu gods. Following the incident, a group of slum dwellers filed a mass complaint against the accused on Friday. Arrests, so far Police have so far arrested eight people, including three women for allegedly hatching the conspiracy. The accused arrested so far were identified as Anil, Binwa, Sardar, Nikku, Basant, who are all natives of Faizabad and residents of Mangatpuram, along with Titli, Reena and Prema, residents of Mangatpuram slum. After investigation, the police have also named a pastor named Anil, a resident of Railway Road, along with another pastor by the name of Mukesh, a resident of Delhi, as the mastermind of the conspiracy. The duo, along with a woman named Chabeeli, are currently on the run, said reports. Piyush Kumar Singh, SP City (Meerut), who is investigating the case, told Firstpost that the names of Anil and Mukesh have come out in the statements of the arrested accused. “It seems that Anil, who was earlier living in Delhi had come to Mangatpuram during COVID lockdown, helped people around with ration and edibles and allegedly tried to convert them,” he said, adding that Mukesh had reportedly converted Anil to Christianity and has been accused for being hand-in-glove in this case as well. Singh, however, said both Anil and Mukesh’s role in the case is yet to be ascertained. “They are so far suspects and truth will be ascertained after their arrests.” Foreign funding Meanwhile, police sources said that intelligence agencies have also been roped in to bring out the facts of the case. The agency officials have submitted their preliminary investigation report to the state as well as the Centre. Sources in Meerut police further said that the call details records of the arrested persons are being checked in order to establish the identities of people who funded the alleged conversion ring. “In the primary investigation, it seems they were getting foreign funding and efforts to gather evidences in this are on,” said sources. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.