A Christian priest from India and his two women associates were arrested on Sunday from near a prayer hall in Aber village in Satna district after three men filed a complaint against them of allegedly "conducting conversions by force."

(Reuters/Mansi Thapliyal) A woman attends a mass inside a church in New Delhi, March 31, 2013.

"We have arrested them under section 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of IPC and (section) 3/4 of Religious Conversion Act," Mahendra Jagat said as quoted by Outlook. Jagat is the Kotar police station in-charge.

Pastor V A Anthony and his wife Prabha, who conducts weekly prayers in Aber, and another woman, had reportedly invited three villagers to Aber Church and had promised them jobs after they convert to Christianity.

The three villagers, Rambhan Adivasi, Hemraj Varma and Prashant Gupta, were asked to tear images of Hindu gods during Sunday prayers at the hall.

"I was in touch with the [priest] for quite some time and he had offered me and my two friends job at the church and money. Later, he forced me to embrace Christianity," Gupta said expressing his anger at the priest for taking advantage of his situation.

The three Christians were charged for violating the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act. They were actually placed before a local court that rejected their bail application. They were then later on sent to judicial custody.

"I will ensure that the sedition charge is invoked against Pastor Anthony because it's clear from the complaint that he spoke against the nation,'' Laxmi Yadav told The Indian Express. Yadav is the Madhya Pradesh State Backward Classes Commission member.

"Such incidents are on the rise in the region and police should take tough stand in such issues." Yadav continued.