Alwar police in Rajasthan rescued over 50 children from a religious conversion trap being run in a privately-run hostel on September 3.
The facility, located in Syed Colony under the jurisdiction of Udyog Nagar police station and operated by Friends Missionary Prayer Band (FMPB), was coercing Hindu and Sikh children into Christianity under the guise of providing education and shelter, police say.
Police said the hostel had been functioning for nearly five years, targeting vulnerable families.
Most of the rescued children, aged six to 17, belonged to Hindu and Sikh families, as per reports.
The Complaint and Police Action
Police raided the facility after a complaint by local activist Vijendra Khandelwal, who reported systematic indoctrination at the hostel located in Goleta village.
Based on his statement, FIR No. 324/2025 was lodged at Udyog Nagar Police Station under BNS sections 196(2) and 299.
In the raid, police seized copies of Bibles and conversion literature, as per their press note. Police arrested Amrit Garasia from Gujarat and Sohan Singh from Alwar, while naming 15 others in the case, including Tamil Nadu-based pastor Sailvam.
Indoctrination Tactics: “Your Gods Are Powerless”
According to testimonies of children gathered by both police and activists reported in the media, they were brainwashed into rejecting their family deities.
• Idol Submersion Trick: Children were told to dip murtis of Hindu gods in water to see them sink, while a cross was shown floating – an “experiment” used to prove Hindu gods powerless.
• Morning & Evening Prayers: Students were made to chant that only Jesus saves and that all non-believers would “burn in hell.”
• Cultural Erasure: Hindu festivals, Sikh prayers and traditional practices were systematically discouraged.
One rescued boy admitted that they were told Jesus is the only true God.
Repeat Offender: Sohan Singh
Alwar SP Sudhir Chaudhary said that accused Sohan Singh had a prior record. He was arrested in Sikar in August 2024 for a similar conversion racket but secured bail and soon shifted to Alwar. The officer said police would move for cancellation of his bail and investigate the larger network.
He said officials suspected large-scale foreign funding, with some hostel children sent to expensive private schools while others were kept under strict missionary influence.
