As Christmas celebrations unfolded across several parts of the country, Shahjahanpur district in Uttar Pradesh witnessed the unmasking of a disturbing pattern of missionary-driven religious conversion operations. In rapid succession, multiple cases surfaced across different police station areas, exposing what investigators believe is a well-coordinated and systematically run network aimed at targeting vulnerable Hindu families.
According to police findings, inducements such as promises of medical “healing”, cash payouts, assistance in marriage, and other material benefits were used as tools to pressure and lure people into abandoning their faith. The emerging evidence suggests that these were not isolated prayer meetings, but organised conversion drives exploiting poverty, illness and social distress under the garb of religious outreach.
200 people caught in a Changai sabha
The most recent case in this sequence was registered on December 21, 2025, at Roza Police Station, Shahjahanpur, on the basis of a complaint filed by Ashneel Singh, a functionary of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). Acting swiftly on the complaint, police conducted a raid at a house located in Kailashnagar Colony, where nearly 200 people were reported to have gathered.
According to FIR (No. 655/2025), the gathering was a Christian prayer meeting, locally known as a changai sabha. The FIR alleges that the meeting was not merely religious in nature but was organised with the specific intention of converting Hindu attendees to Christianity. The complaint states that those present were offered money and help in arranging marriages if they agreed to change their religion.
Based on these allegations, the police registered a case under Sections 131, 197, 352 and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, against Angel, Vivek, Vipin, Monu and Ramadevi.
In his detailed statement to the police, Ashneel Singh said that at around 1 pm, while passing through Mohammadi Road, he noticed an unusually large crowd outside Ramadevi’s house. When he went closer, he found a prayer meeting underway. According to the FIR, speakers at the gathering were allegedly using derogatory language against Hindu deities, which prompted him to object.
The complaint further states that when he raised objections, the accused allegedly abused him, became aggressive, attempted to physically assault him and issued death threats. Fearing for his safety, Ashneel Singh left the spot and informed the police. By the time the police reached the location, around 150 women had fled the premises, indicating the sudden dispersal of the gathering.
Ashneel Singh also handed over a video recording of the meeting to the police. During the search of the premises, police recovered a stage set up with a cross and other Christian religious items, which were seized as part of the investigation.
Police arrested four of the accused, while Ramadevi managed to escape. Efforts are currently underway to trace her whereabouts. Investigators have also begun examining call detail records (CDRs) and financial transactions, including the possibility of foreign funding, especially in light of earlier, similar cases uncovered in the district.
Conversion activities opposite a Gurudwara
The Roza case is not an isolated incident. Police say it is linked to a larger chain of cases that began earlier in the year. The first major FIR in this series was registered on July 13, 2025, at Sindhauli Police Station, based on a complaint by Raghvendra Singh, then district convenor of the Hindu Yuva Vahini.
Registered as FIR (No. 273/2025), the case was filed under Sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. The complaint stated that religious conversion activities were being carried out at a house located opposite a gurdwara in the Sindhauli area, where Hindus were allegedly being induced to convert.
According to the FIR, Raghvendra Singh received information about the activity and reached the spot along with other members of the organisation before informing the police. During the raid, police detained several people from inside the house. Those named include Prahlad Singh, Mukesh Balmiki, Gurdas Balmiki, Anshneet Kumar Rathore, Kiran, Anshi Devi, Sana, Bimla Devi, Aarti and Rajwati, while several others fled before police could apprehend them.
The FIR and seizure memo recorded that a bag recovered from Anshneet Kumar Rathore contained a Bible, Christian religious literature, Aadhaar card and photographs. Investigators also noted that one room inside the house was locked and was suspected to contain material hostile to Hindu beliefs, prompting a request for a detailed inspection.
Although Padmnaman, later identified as Padmnaman alias Padmanavan alias Pastor Joshua, was not named as an accused in the initial FIR, police records show that he was arrested during the investigation. This followed revelations that he was allegedly receiving funds from missionary organisations based in Tamil Nadu, linking him to the wider conversion network.
Prayer meeting with 30-40 Hindus in it
As the investigation progressed, more cases came to light. On July 27, 2025, a second FIR, (No. 322/2025), was registered at Khutar Police Station on the complaint of Avnish Mishra, also associated with the Hindu Yuva Vahini.
This case was registered under Sections 352 and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 3 and 5(1) of the UP Conversion Act against Harishchandra Jatav and his son Shailesh. According to Avnish Mishra’s statement, a prayer meeting was being held at a house in Kumbhiya Mafi village, where 30 to 40 Hindu men and women were allegedly being offered money to convert.
The complaint states that when objections were raised, the accused abused the complainant and issued death threats. One local resident allegedly told Avnish Mishra that he had been offered Rs 50,000 to change his religion. During the raid, police recovered Bibles and Christian religious material, and launched an inquiry into possible external and foreign funding.
On the same day, July 27, 2025, a third FIR, (No. 372/2025), was registered on another complaint by Raghvendra Singh, this time at the relevant police station covering the Chena Ruriya area. This FIR was filed under Sections 131 and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 3 and 5(1) of the UP Conversion Act, against Hemraj Pasi, Om Pal, Laungshri, Ladli, and 20 to 25 unidentified persons.
The complaint alleged that religious conversions were being carried out through inducement and coercion. When members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini objected, the accused allegedly assaulted them with sticks, causing injuries. The accused also allegedly threatened villagers with false cases and claimed they had “settings” with the police. According to the FIR, they further claimed they were receiving Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for conversion activities, with promises of earning even more.
Financial trail and court action
As arrests were made, police examined bank accounts linked to the accused. According to the investigation, financial transactions amounting to approximately Rs 4.25 crore were detected. Statements recorded during the probe suggested that such conversion-related activities were allegedly taking place at nearly 200 locations across Shahjahanpur district.
A major legal development followed on August 11, 2025, when the Shahjahanpur District and Sessions Court, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Ashish Verma, rejected the bail applications of Padmnaman alias Pastor Joshua and his wife Kiran Joshua. The decision was recorded in court order (Number: UPSH010048802025), linked to the case arising from the July 13 Sindhauli FIR.
The court noted that bank records showed Rs 25,75,642.99 credited to Padmnaman’s Bank of Baroda account from organisations such as Jesus Redeems Ministries, Mission Upholders Trust and The Pocket Testament League, along with multiple high-value UPI transfers from Mumbai-based accounts. The court also recorded that Rs 4,76,029 had been credited to Kiran Joshua’s account, and noted that she was originally a Hindu woman who converted after coming into contact with Padmnaman.
Relying on witness statements, seizure memos and financial records, the court observed that the accused were organising weekly prayer meetings in Hindu-majority areas, targeting poor and vulnerable villagers through inducements. Considering the seriousness of the allegations and the scale of funding involved, the court held that the offence was grave and denied bail.
Larger picture emerging
Investigators later identified Jesus Redeems Ministries, led by Tamil Nadu-based preacher Mohan C Lazarus, and Mission Upholders Trust, headquartered in Vellore, as organisations whose funds appeared in the financial trail. Official records show that Mission Upholders Trust is FCRA-registered and received Rs 49,52,936 in 2023-24 and Rs 56,53,856.76 in 2022-23 as foreign contributions.
When all the cases registered at Roza, Sindhauli and Khutar police stations are seen together, along with the arrests, seizures, money trail running into crores of rupees and the Sessions Court’s decision to deny bail, a clear picture emerges. These are not small or isolated incidents. Police investigations indicate the existence of an organised and well-planned conversion network operating at multiple locations across Shahjahanpur. The pattern shows repeated gatherings, similar methods, the use of inducements and a steady flow of funds, pointing to a larger system rather than individual acts.
What is especially worrying is the timing and the manner in which these activities were carried out. While many Hindus across the country participate in Christmas celebrations in a spirit of harmony, wearing Santa caps and joining festive events, missionary groups, are using this atmosphere to quietly target vulnerable Hindu families. Poor households, women, the sick and those facing personal or financial distress were approached with promises of medical “treatment”, cash help, marriage support and a better life, and were then pressured to abandon their faith.
The investigations suggest that behind the outward appearance of prayer meetings and charity work, there is an aggressive effort to weaken people’s connection to their own Dharma by exploiting their difficulties and emotional vulnerability.
The courts have already taken note of the seriousness of these allegations by refusing bail, and police have said that further action will follow based on financial audits, witness statements and coordination with other states.
