Lucknow, Jun 27 (IANS): Three people, including a woman and her son, have been arrested under provisions of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act in two separate cases of alleged religious conversion in Sitapur and Rae Bareli districts of Uttar Pradesh.

In Sitapur, Geeta Masih and her son Anuj have been arrested for allegedly luring poor villagers into embracing Christianity. The mother-son duo had also allegedly offered a woman money to convert.

In Rae Bareli, one Sonu Rawat was booked for trying to coerce a villager to convert to Christianity.

Investigations were underway in both cases, cops said.

Sitapur Kotwali SHO Alok Mani Tripathi said, “The woman andher son would find poor and lesser privileged people and lure them into embracing Christianity. Locals have also alleged that the duo would dupe innocents by promising them government jobs and marriage.”

The SHO added that the accused duo was allegedly being aided by a group from Ghaziabad. The allegation was being probed, he said.

In Rae Bareli’s Kodra village, Sonu Rawat was trying to convert a villager on Sunday following which locals Kamla Devi and Munna Singh intervened, police said.

Rawat allegedly escaped after attacking the duo. “We have booked Sonu Rawat under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act,” said SHO Kushwaha.