'ISIS-style' conversion gang busted in Agra: Girls forced into Islam, radicalised
In this particular case, the elder sister, an M. Phil in Zoology pursuing her Ph.D., first came in contact with a Kashmiri woman named Saima during coaching classes in Agra. Saima allegedly convinced her to visit Kashmir in 2021, sparking her conversion. Despite being traced and brought back then, she disappeared again in March 2025, this time with her 19-year-old younger sister. Both were found in Kolkata days later.The family told India Today TV that their elder daughter had turned hostile to Hindu beliefs, abandoned family rituals, and started advocating purdah and hijab after her first disappearance. They claimed the sisters shared a room, which made the younger one vulnerable to the elder's influence.The family feared the group had deliberately targeted their youngest daughter once she turned 18, ensuring legal loopholes could be exploited to convert and marry her off."Ever since my elder daughter came in contact with Saima, she began advocating Islam. After returning from Kashmir, she would seek permission to offer Namaz. A few years later, both daughters again disappeared in March this year and were traced to Kolkata. The syndicate's clear intention was to convert my daughters to Islam and get them married through nikaah," the parents alleged.MODUS OPERANDIOfficials said that the syndicate's funding came from Lashkar-e-Taiba, routed through international channels. Ayesha alias SB Krishna from Goa allegedly managed the finances, receiving money from Canada-based Syed Dawood Ahmed and distributing it in India.Ayesha's husband, Shekhar Rai alias Hasan Ali, operated from Kolkata as the syndicate's legal advisor, arranging documents for conversions.Key operatives like Abdul Rehman Qureshi in Agra and Osama in Kolkata handled radicalisation. Qureshi allegedly brainwashed girls via a YouTube channel named "The Sunnah Channel", preaching extremist ideology.Delhi-based Mustafa alias Manoj provided new phones and fake SIM cards for the girls, arranged under false identities. Once radicalised, the girls were moved discreetly by bus to other states to avoid detection.ARRESTS & DENIALSadvertisementAgra Police has arrested multiple accused, including Abdul Rehman Qureshi, who is described as a soft-spoken local working at a shoe shop. His parents told India Today TV they had no idea about his alleged activities and claimed he rarely stepped out or met outsiders.They even insist they were unaware of how he could run a radicalisation channel in English, despite failing his Class 12 exams. The family said that police detained Qureshi on July 17 but have not clarified the charges yet."None of my five children could do anything like this. Rehman would leave for the shop in the morning and return home by evening. He did not have any friends and spent all his time at home. We never taught our children anything about religion. The police did not explain anything before arresting him. They didn't even allow us to meet our child and just took him away," Rehman's parents said."All accusations against him are false. We appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure justice is done," they added.This case adds to a growing list of alleged forced conversion syndicates exposed in Uttar Pradesh since 2021. Earlier, Maulana Umar Gautam and Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui's networks were busted, followed by the recent Balrampur syndicate of Chhangur Baba, alias Jamaluddin.- Ends
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