UP ATS arrests key aide of Chhangur Baba in religious conversion racket

Balrampur/Lucknow, July 17 (IANS) In a major breakthrough, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Thursday arrested Rashid, a key associate of self-styled spiritual leader Chhangur Baba, for his alleged role in a large-scale religious conversion racket. The arrest was made from Balrampur’s Utraula area, where the racket is believed to have originated.

According to information, Chhangur Baba had entrusted Rashid with handling the ‘love jihad’ wing of the conversion syndicate. He was booked under multiple sections of the IPC, including 121A (conspiracy against the state), 420 (cheating), and 153A (promoting enmity), as well as provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021.

The ATS presented Rashid before a local court, and further legal proceedings are underway. Chhangur Baba, whose real name is Jamaluddin, is the alleged mastermind behind the inter-state racket.

Investigators say the operation targeted Scheduled Castes, economically weaker groups, and Hindu women by exploiting emotional and religious vulnerabilities -- often luring people through promises of fulfilled wishes, prosperity, or miraculous healing.

Last week, the ATS took Chhangur Baba to Madhpur village in Balrampur, his reported hub of operations. Officials raided a bungalow allegedly linked to his aides, which has since been marked as illegally constructed and is now under demolition.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after initial findings revealed that the racket received foreign funds of over Rs 106 crore, primarily from the Middle East.

The ED and ATS officials who are conducting the probe have pointed out what they called a disturbing pattern of psychological manipulation, with the accused Baba allegedly targeting temple and dargah visitors and slowly brainwashing liberal-minded Hindu families into converting.

The ATS continues to expose layers of the network, which it now believes spans across multiple states and involves a deep nexus of foreign funding, illegal assets, and radicalisation strategies.

--IANS

brt/pgh