Goa Police, on Thursday (May 26), arrested the evangelical couple, Dominic D’ Souza and his wife Joan D’ Souza, for luring people into Christianity by offering money or promising to cure their ailments.
The police arrested the couple based on two separate complaints.
According to the complaint by Prakash Khobrekar, the couple induced an individual to give up his religious belief and convert to the religion professed and propagated by them.
“All the accused persons deliberately made gestures by uttering words, acts, threatened the complainant with the intention to hurt his religious sentiments and lured the complainant to accept the religion professed and propagated by them,” said Prakash Khobrekar, one of the complainants, in his petition.
Goa Police arrested the evangelical couple and booked them under section 153 A, ‘promoting enmity on the ground of religion’, section 295 A, ‘deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings’ and sections 3 and 4 of Drugs & Magic Remedies Act 1954. Two separate FIRs have been registered by the police against the couple.
There have been several complaints against Dominic D’ Souza in Siolim, a few by the local Catholic Church for poaching on their congregation.
Locals complained several times that 5 Pillars Christian Church, a self denominated Christian Church run by Dominic, was disturbing the peace in the village.
Locals said Dominic would disturb the local church prayers by using loudspeakers without permission.
Mapusa police official said the couple would be presented in the court on Friday to seek their custody for further investigation.
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