Jaipur: Currently serving a life term in Punjab for rape, Pastor Bajinder Singh, Saturday, was brought to Bharatpur on a production warrant in connection with an alleged religious conversion racket under investigation by the district police.Officials said Atalbandh police brought Singh from a Punjab jail late Friday night after his name surfaced in a Feb 2024 case of religious conversion in Bharatpur. Local activists alleged that he was involved in organising gatherings to lure people into changing their faith.Police said the events were held under the guise of religious meetings where children, poor women and sick individuals were invited with arrangements of free food and drinks. Large television screens were used to play videos of Singh and religious books and printed material of another faith, deemed objectionable by local groups, were seized. Hindu outfits also alleged that people at the gatherings were incited to raise slogans against Hindu deities and encouraged to convert.During the initial probe, three people were detained and investigators claimed the meetings were backed by Singh. “It was alleged that attendees were promised money and dreams of a better future,” an officer said.In April this year, a Mohali Special Court sentenced Singh (42) to rigorous imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life and imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh after convicting him of raping a woman in 2018. Singh, who converted from Hinduism to Christianity while in jail, later declared himself a preacher.Police said further questioning of Singh is underway in Bharatpur to establish his role in the alleged conversion racket.
