Overview

• The arrests followed a complaint about a Friday prayer gathering in Chimbipada, Bhiwandi, where 30–35 villagers had assembled.
• The FIR alleges Christian literature was distributed, conversions were urged with promises of healing and prosperity, and four girls were identified as ill before the foreigner placed his hands on their foreheads.
• Police identified the accused as James Watson, 58, of the United States, Sainath Ganpati Sarpe, 42, and Manoj Govind Kolha, 35.
• The trio were booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 299 and 302, the Foreigners Act, and Maharashtra’s 2013 anti‑black magic law.
• Investigators say Watson entered India on a business visa and allegedly organized a religious event without permission, with inquiries underway into his travel history, local contacts, and any network; a video of the police confrontation circulated online.