Rudrapur, June 1 -- Police have intensified their investigation into alleged religious conversion cases in Khatima and will be examining the bank accounts and electronic evidence of the accused to ascertain whether financial inducements and foreign funding were used to facilitate conversions, officials said on Sunday. "Police are probing religious conversion cases regarding foreign funding. They are also probing whether funding was provided in conversion cases. Police are identifying private houses and prayer places where prayers were held in connection with conversion activities without permission," said Ajay Ganpati, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Udham Singh Nagar. Police have so far arrested five people, including a woman, in connection with the alleged illegal conversion of members of economically weaker sections, particularly from Tharu tribal villages in the Khatima area. Another accused is absconding and efforts are underway to trace him. Police will scrutinise the bank accounts of the accused and conduct forensic examinations of seized mobile phones and other electronic gadgets to determine whether money was transferred to lure people into religious conversion. Police are also collecting evidence related to possible foreign funding. According to police, the accused allegedly targeted poor and unemployed villagers by offering financial assistance, free medical treatment and other benefits. Authorities claim that vulnerable individuals were persuaded to attend prayer meetings and adopt Christianity through inducements and sustained influence. The latest action follows a series of cases registered in Khatima and nearby areas. On May 23, police registered an FIR based on a complaint by a woman Nivlesh Rana from village Diya in Khatima, who alleged that her husband and two others were pressuring her to convert to Christianity. The complainant also alleged that she was threatened and abused after refusing to convert. Based on the complaint, police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 5 of the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act. During the investigation, police alleged that one of the accused had been targeting members of the Tharu community and economically weaker families by promising solutions to personal problems, medical treatment and financial assistance. Police further claimed that villagers were offered a monthly payment of Rs.6,000 and a lump-sum amount of Rs.2 lakh in exchange for conversion....