Three people have been arrested at the Magh Mela in Prayagraj for allegedly selling books that misrepresented religious verses to denigrate Hinduism, police said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Mahmood Hasan Ghazi, Mohd Monish alias Ashish Kumar Gupta and Sameer alias Naresh Kumar Saroj, were arrested on Monday, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satish Chandra claimed.

Ghazi is the main accused and also a teacher at the Islamia Imdadia Madrasa that falls under the Puramufti police station limits, police claimed.

He (Ghazi) was found misrepresenting verses from the Vedas and getting them printed in books to project the Hindu religion in a bad light while talking highly of Islam, police claimed.

Satish Chandra claimed that Ghazi got the books printed and used to sell them through poor boys after luring them with money.

Mohammad Monish and Sameer used to note down the names, addresses and mobile numbers of the people who bought the books so that they could be contacted and attracted towards Islam and converted, the police claimed.

Both Mohammed Monish and Sameer alias Naresh Kumar were the first Hindus to get converted, Chandra claimed.

The police have recovered 204 suspected religious books, three mobile phones, four Aadhaar cards, a diary and a cart used for selling them, officials claimed.

An FIR has been lodged against them under different sections of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3/5 the Prohibition Of Unlawful Conversion Of Religion Act, 2021 at the Daraganj police station, Chandra added.  -- PTI