JAISALMER: Six people, including a German couple, were detained on Thursday night for alleged illegal religious conversions in Sriganganagar. The incident was reported from a rented house in the district’s Srikaranpur town, located close to the India-Pakistan border.Those detained were identified as German nationals Swan Baz Bat Jaler and his wife Sandra, Santosh Varghese from Karnataka, Mathew from Kerala, Baljinder Singh Khosa, and Rajesh Kamboj alias Poppy.As per initial police inputs, the German couple had recently visited an area close to the international border that falls under restricted zones. Foreign nationals are not permitted here without prior authorisation. This raised red flags for security agencies, who were alerted to examine how the couple gained access to the sensitive area. SP Amrita Duhan said, “A case has been registered under the religious conversion law based on a complaint.“
Senior officials said the movement of foreign nationals in restricted border areas was a matter of concern. “We are investigating whether the accused visited other prohibited locations as well. Multiple agencies, including intelligence units, are likely to question the German nationals,” an official said.Police are scrutinising the visas of foreign nationals and verifying their travel history. “We are examining the purpose of their visit, their visa conditions and why they were holding a large gathering in a strategically sensitive area,” the official said, adding that interrogation of all six suspects was underway.
