Hindus targeted for forced religious conversion by Christian missionary members in Pune, Maharashtra
Pune, Maharashtra, India 
25 April, 2026
Case Summary
In Maharashtra's Pune, Hindus were targeted for forced religious conversion by three Christian men, who were American nationals and were connected to a Christian missionary group. According to media reports, the three accused, James Hudson (65), Frantz Thomas (53), and Gary Jean (64), arrived in India between 19 April 2026 and 21 April 2026 on tourist visas. After this, on 26 April 2026, they began targeting Hindus for forced conversions. They were found distributing Christian religious pamphlets containing religious content in English, Hindi and Marathi. The matter came to light after the trio approached a Hindu cab driver in the Sadashiv Peth and Shukrawar Peth areas and handed him the religious pamphlets, aiming to subtly indoctrinate him. Suspicious of their activity, the driver alerted nearby police personnel, following which the three foreigners were taken to a local police station for questioning. During a search of their belongings, police recovered a large number of printed materials related to religious messaging. Following this, an inquiry was conducted by the Foreigners Registration Office of Pune Police, which confirmed that the accused had violated visa norms by engaging in coercive religious activities, which are not permitted under a tourist visa. Based on the findings, authorities issued a “Leave India Notice” under relevant provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, directing the trio to leave the country by 10 May 2026. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Foreigners Registration Office) Sandeep Bhajibhakare said the action was taken in accordance with the law for violation of the visa conditions.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is- Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious grooming or brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such grooming or brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. In this case, Hindus were targeted and subtly manipulated to convert to Christianity by Christian evangelists who distributed religious pamphlets to brainwash the victims. Such acts of predatory proselytisation amounted to a clear case of religiously motivated hate crime, targeting Hindus specifically to erode their faith. The nature of the conversion efforts and the wider impact on the Hindu community indicated a targeted action against Hindus as a collectivity. When individuals or groups focus their efforts on converting members of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus in Pune, it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for the Hindu faith. Conversion, especially when achieved through external persuasion via pamphlets rather than personal conviction, is not simply about sharing a different belief system. It represents an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this context, the Christian perpetrators specifically targeted Hindus, suggesting a profound lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions strip Hindu victims of their faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. The act of distributing religious pamphlets is no random occurrence. It constitutes a direct attempt to subtly indoctrinate Hindus with Christian theology by providing them with Christian religious pamphlets and materials designed to convert them gradually. Introducing such Christian elements into their everyday lives aims to erode their Hindu faith slowly, desecrating it piece by piece. This methodical, subtle proselytisation and indoctrination with Christian doctrine exemplified how Christian missionaries on tourist visas exploited everyday encounters, like approaching a cab driver, to plant seeds of doubt about his Hindu faith and conversion, turning routine interactions into assaults on Hindu religious identity and making it a clear case of religiously motivated hate crime. When religious materials or pamphlets of one faith are used to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, it showcases a clear intent of religious conversion and represents a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions are designed to violate and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims. In a broader sense, they exploit their trust, sow doubt in their minds about their own faith, misrepresent their beliefs, and subtly coerce them to convert to Christianity, making it a clear case of a hate crime. Such instances of predatory proselytisation stem from deep-seated religious animosity towards the victims' faith, as Abrahamic faiths view non-adherents as subjects for dehumanisation until conversion. Therefore, this case exemplifies doctrinal hostility towards Hindus. The American Christians' visa violations and targeted distribution of Christian religious material in Pune highlighted a calculated effort to diminish Hindu presence, warranting this case's inclusion in the Hate Crime Database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
