The Uttar Pradesh Police has booked 42 people and arrested nine of them for allegedly luring the poor and tribal people to convert to Christianity through fraudulent means in Sonbhadra district, an officer said on Friday.
A large quantity of religious books, propaganda materials and laptops were recovered from the arrested accused.
Additional Superintendent of Police Kalu Singh said Narsingh, a resident of Malhiya Tola in the Chopan police station area of the district, lodged a complaint that some people were luring tribal people and the poor to convert to Christianity using fraudulent means.
Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered against 42 people under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act on Thursday.
Thereafter, nine of the accused were arrested.
The arrested accused included Jaiprabhu of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Ajay Kumar of Robertsganj in Uttar Pradesh and Chekka Emmanuel of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
The remaining arrested accused were identified as Rajendra Kol, Chhotu alias Ranjan, Parmanand, Sohan, Prem Nath Prajapati and Ram Pratap.