Hindus lured to convert to Christianity through monetary inducements and 'healing and deliverance service'; their faith blamed for hardships
Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, India 
1 December, 2025
Case Summary
Hindu vollagers in UP's Sonbhadra were lured through monetary inducements and promises of healing services by a Christian pastor and his wife, who used these offers to draw vulnerable individuals into their circle. Under the guise of helping them recover from illness and financial stress, the couple gradually encouraged the Hindu victims to participate in prayer meetings, convincing them that only Christian rituals and blessings could solve their problems. Over time, this manipulation deepened as the pastor and his wife used repeated assurances of divine intervention, financial support, and emotional comfort to make the victims dependent on them. Along with inticing villagers with these allurements, the Christian couple tried to convince the victim's to abandon Hindu practices. The victims were discouraged from performing traditional puja and told that their difficulties were a result of following Hindu deities. The pastor and his wife deliberately targeted families dealing with hardship, repeatedly insisting that adopting Christian prayers would bring relief while Hindu rituals would worsen their situation. As the victims grew more vulnerable, they were pushed further into the couple’s religious network, including being asked to attend exclusive gatherings and accept the authority of the pastor as a divine messenger. The couple, identified as Pastor Ramu Prajapati and his wife Rinki, continued to use money, emotional manipulation, and assurances of miraculous healing to maintain control, gradually distancing the victims from their Hindu identity. After the matter came to light, the Sonbhadra police initiated legal proceedings against a accused couple. The authorities also seized a mobile phone, a tablet, a Bible, a cross, and other materials linked to the unlawful activities from the spot. Shivam Singh Rajput, district minister of the BJP Yuva Morcha, lodged a police complaint after locals informed him that the couple had been gathering people at a house in ward number 16 of Babhanauli Mohalla, under Robertsganj police station, to carry out religious conversions. The couple, residents of the Pagiya hamlet under the Karma police station area, had reportedly been using Babhanauli Mohalla as their base for conversion activities for several months. A similar meeting was underway with the accused pair and around a dozen attendees when members of Bajrang Dal and the BJP Yuva Morcha learned of it and reached the location to protest. They then alerted the authorities, after which a police team arrived at the village and brought everyone present at the gathering to the police station for questioning. The accused had been enticing people with financial benefits and using chanting, poems, and religious literature to push conversions. Shivam Singh Rajput said the accused reacted angrily when confronted, used women to shield themselves, and attempted to intimidate those who intervened. Circle Officer City Randhir Mishra confirmed that an investigation was conducted after receiving the complaint, and the allegations were found to be true. A case was registered, the husband has been taken into custody, and efforts are underway to locate his absconding wife.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This incident has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the first subcategory selected is- Conversion/attempts to convert through inducements. Predatory Proselytisation is not just limited to threat, harassment, force and violence, but it also has contours of stealth. In several cases, the Hindu victim is exploited to convert, with non-Hindus taking advantage of their poverty. In such cases, the Hindu victim who is suffering financially is offered monetary benefits, including lucrative offers for jobs, health treatment, education, etc, to induce the victim into changing his/her religion. In such cases, the religious identity of the victim and the aim to disenfranchise him from his faith form the heart of the crime. Also, taking advantage of and exploiting an individual’s economic vulnerabilities is widely acknowledged as exploitation, forms of which are often penalised by law. Such cases, therefore, are considered religiously motivated hate crimes since the victim’s religious identity forms the very heart of the crime itself. The second subcategory relevant here is- Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The third subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, and, within this, the relevant tertiary category is- Pattern of targeting Hindus. 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. This case reflects a systematic effort to draw Hindu villagers away from their faith by exploiting their financial difficulties, health concerns, and emotional vulnerabilities. The accused couple used material inducements, promises of healing, and repeated assurances of divine intervention to create dependence and make the victims receptive to religious influence. Their approach relied on presenting Christianity as the only path to relief while portraying Hindu rituals as the source of the villagers' hardships, which served to weaken the villagers' confidence in their own traditions. The method used here went beyond ordinary persuasion. It involved gradually isolating the victims from their religious identity through constant pressure, psychological manipulation, and the calculated use of authority. Families grappling with illness or economic distress were targeted because their vulnerability made them easier to influence. The couple nurtured a step-by-step dependence, drawing people into prayer circles and exclusive gatherings so that their worldview could be shaped over time. Taken together, the inducements, the denigration of Hindu practices, and the long-term grooming of vulnerable villagers demonstrate a clear pattern of predatory conduct aimed specifically at Hindus. The accused did not seek general followers but focused on Hindu families, using their suffering as an entry point to influence and convert them. This pattern aligns with broader concerns about coercive proselytisation that preys on hardship and systematically undermines Hindu belief and identity.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
