On November 24, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, a cleric named Sarfaraz was apprehended for pressuring a Hindu woman to convert to Islam, claiming to eliminate ‘evil powers’ and ‘ghosts.’
Sarfaraz, the detained Islamic cleric, admitted to coercing individuals of non-Muslim faiths into embracing Islam. The arrest followed a complaint filed by Akshay Srivastava, the son of the 45-year-old victim, Meenu, at the Nandgram Police Station.
Akshay informed the police that his mother had been grappling with physical and mental ailments since 2017 and was undergoing treatment. During this period, upon the suggestion of some individuals, Akshay sought the assistance of cleric Sarfaraz to help cure his mother.
In his formal complaint, Akshay Srivastava accused cleric Sarfaraz of inducing his mother to convert by exploiting her fear of ghosts. According to the complainant, the 36-year-old cleric instructed Akshay’s mother to remove idols and depictions of Hindu deities from her residence. Additionally, she allegedly pressured her children and other family members to embrace Islam.
पुलिस कमिश्नरेट गाजियाबाद पुलिस टीम द्वारा धर्मपरिवर्तन कराने की साजिश का खुलासा करते हुए 01 अभियुक्त को किया गया गिरफ्तार ।@Uppolice pic.twitter.com/p5eX2hTxwD
— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE GHAZIABAD (@ghaziabadpolice) November 24, 2023
The accused cleric asserted that the woman’s medical treatment would be ineffective if she continued practicing Hinduism. He insisted that converting to Islam was essential for her health improvement. ACP Nandgram Ravi Kumar Singh reported that the cleric was apprehended near the tri-section of Morti village.
During police interrogation, Sarfaraz disclosed that after performing the Haj pilgrimage a few years ago, he had been conducting exorcisms in the region for the past eight years. He admitted to coercing individuals with illnesses to convert to Islam by exploiting their fear of ghosts, as stated by Singh.
Cleric Sarfaraz, the accused, has been charged under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act and the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, according to ACP Singh.
पुलिस कमिश्नरेट गाजियाबाद पुलिस टीम द्वारा धर्मपरिवर्तन कराने की साजिश का खुलासा करते हुए 01 अभियुक्त को किया गया गिरफ्तार ।
बाइट-एसीपी नन्दग्राम@Uppolice https://t.co/QXwd8TztoE pic.twitter.com/hgimFMnIcv— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE GHAZIABAD (@ghaziabadpolice) November 24, 2023
Ghaziabad Police, in a statement to X, revealed the arrest of the accused cleric in connection with the religious conversion conspiracy, stating, “The Ghaziabad Police Commissionerate team apprehended one suspect, disclosing their involvement in the conspiracy of religious conversion.”
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