Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 28 : Chhangur Baba, alias Jamaluddin, the prime accused in an illegal religious conversion case, was remanded to five-day Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody by the ED court on Monday.
Although the ED had requested a seven-day custody, the court granted a five-day remand. The agency plans to file a production warrant against Chhangur Baba.
Meanwhile, on July 26, in a joint operation, the Agra Police, with the Uttarakhand Police, arrested six people in connection with a religious conversion racket allegedly linked to the Chhangur gang, which operates out of Pakistan and Dubai.
Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Singh said a team from the Agra Police had arrived in Uttarakhand about ten days ago as part of the investigation.
"A team of Agra Police from UP came here 10 days ago in regard to a case. A man named Abdul Rehman was converted to Islam from Hinduism in 2014-15. When we investigated the case, we learnt about a victim whose converted name was Mariyam. She was pressurised for conversion," said SSP Singh.
Earlier on July 20, the Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested another accused in connection with the religious conversion syndicate allegedly led by Chhangur Baba alias Jamaluddin, officials said.
The accused, identified as Rajesh Kumar Upadhyay, was arrested on Saturday, they said.
The arrest came days after Jamaluddin and his close aide, Nasreen, the alleged masterminds of a covert network involved in religious conversions across Uttar Pradesh and beyond, were arrested from Uttar Pradesh.
According to Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General (ADG) of Law and Order, Amitabh Yash, the gang operated for over 15 years and used a variety of manipulative tactics, including honey-trapping, administrative pressure, targeting minors, and enlisting influential individuals to facilitate conversions.
"A significant amount of foreign funding has been traced to the gang," ADG Yash had told ANI earlier.
"Separate rate cards existed for different types of conversions, and the money was routed through nearly 40 bank accounts. The ATS is tracking the sources of these funds."
He further stated that any properties acquired using these funds would be seized and demolished as per legal provisions. "Chhangur Baba and his main associate, Neetu alias Nasreen, will be interrogated regarding their network, financial trail, and assets. The process to seize and demolish their illegally acquired properties has begun. All individuals against whom there is evidence have been arrested. Mohammed Ahmed is also named in the case, and further investigation is underway," he added.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had requested a copy of the FIR from the ATS for a parallel investigation into the financial aspects.
Highlighting concerns of demographic shifts, ADG Yash pointed out that the region in question lies close to the Nepal border, and such changes have been under observation for some time, raising suspicions of a larger conspiracy.
On Wednesday, the ED launched a major search operation in connection with the case. Raids were conducted at 14 different locations, including 12 premises in Utraula in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur district, and two in Mumbai.