Ghaziabad: UP Police have arrested a Malayali couple here for allegedly trying to convert 20 people into Christianity. 

Santhosh John Abraham of Sharon Fellowship Church and his wife were arrested on the basis of complaints from two people in Kanawani village, reported Manorama News. The couple is charged with Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance, 2020, which was framed against love jihad, as per reports. 

They were luring poor people to convert for the last two-and-half decades and had also taken a big hall for prayers, complainants Praveen Nagar and Shiv Kumar said in their complaint.

While ACP Indirapuram Swatantra Singh said the duo was enticing the deprived people of the society to adopt Christianity, the Church has denied the allegations, stating that the arrest was due to pressure from Bajrang Dal. 

During interrogation, Abrahim told police that he works as a priest at Sharon Fellowship Church of Kerala and is living here since 1996.

A case was registered against them on Sunday under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, the ACP said.

(With inputs from PTI)