Latest news with #UttarPradeshAnti-TerroristSquad
New Indian Express
20-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Five booked in Uttarakhand for alleged role in religious conversion racket linked to Chhangur Baba gang
DEHRADUN: Dehradun Police have booked five individuals, allegedly linked to the 'Chhangur Baba gang', for attempting religious conversions among youth. The action, initiated at Ranipokhri police station, stems from a complaint by a local businessman whose daughter was reportedly targeted by the group, which allegedly operated a conversion racket through Instagram. Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh confirmed the development, stating, "The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had contacted Doon police regarding this matter, and subsequently took Abdul Rahman and a young woman named Mariam from Doiwala into custody for questioning." Based on the information provided by the UP ATS, Dehradun Police swiftly formed its own team and launched a thorough investigation into the alleged racket. During the course of their probe, several suspicious Instagram IDs linked to the operation were put under close surveillance. Police sources revealed that Abdul Rahman, a key figure, originally from Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, was born a Hindu but converted to Islam after coming into contact with Jalaluddin alias 'Chhangur Baba's' gang approximately 12 years ago. He had moved to the Selakui area about a decade and a half ago in search of work and currently works as a taxi driver in Shankarpur, Sahaspur.
New Indian Express
20-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Dehradun Police book five linked to Chhangur Baba gang for alleged religious conversion racket
DEHRADUN: Dehradun Police have booked five individuals, allegedly linked to the 'Chhangur Baba gang', for attempting religious conversions among youth. The action, initiated at Ranipokhri police station, stems from a complaint by a local businessman whose daughter was reportedly targeted by the group, which allegedly operated a conversion racket through Instagram. Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh confirmed the development, stating, "The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had contacted Doon police regarding this matter, and subsequently took Abdul Rahman and a young woman named Mariam from Doiwala into custody for questioning." Based on the information provided by the UP ATS, Dehradun Police swiftly formed its own team and launched a thorough investigation into the alleged racket. During the course of their probe, several suspicious Instagram IDs linked to the operation were put under close surveillance. Police sources revealed that Abdul Rahman, a key figure, originally from Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, was born a Hindu but converted to Islam after coming into contact with Jalaluddin alias 'Chhangur Baba's' gang approximately 12 years ago. He had moved to the Selakui area about a decade and a half ago in search of work and currently works as a taxi driver in Shankarpur, Sahaspur.
India Today
18-07-2025
- India Today
Foreign funding, terror camp plans: FIR against conversion kingpin Chhangur Baba
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has made explosive revelations in the FIR against Chhangur Baba, mastermind of the religious conversion gang, alleging that he was plotting to set up a terrorist training facility with the help of foreign Baba, alias Jamaluddin, and his associates were arrested earlier this month for orchestrating large-scale religious conversions. He is accused of receiving over Rs 500 crore through around 40 bank accounts from foreign sources, including Gulf countries and possibly to the FIR filed by the UP ATS, these funds were allegedly used to build a luxurious mansion in Balrampur and purchase premium SUVs like Fortuner and Creta. The money also funded anti-national activities, including the construction of a large building intended to be used as a terror camp. Police claim Chhangur Baba's conversion network extended beyond Uttar Pradesh, operating in several other states. Hindu women and minors were reportedly targeted and coerced into conversion. According to investigators, Chhangur Baba had built a team that received commissions for each successful ATS has so far arrested Baba's son Mehboob, and associates Naveen Rohra and Neetu alias Nasreen, who are believed to be key players in the revealed that the operation followed a structured incentive system, with conversion payouts varying by caste. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing the financial angle and the ownership of properties worth over Rs 100 crore, allegedly acquired illegally in Balrampur and Pune, some on encroached government Baba has denied all allegations, saying, "I am innocent. I don't know anything."FATWA AGAINST CHHANGUR BABAMeanwhile, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, national president of the All India Muslim Jamaat, issued a fatwa against Chhangur Baba and called for his boycott by the community.'The work done by Baba is not only illegal but also against the principles of Islam,' he said. 'Such a person should be boycotted.'Officials said the probe will continue to uncover the full extent of the religious conversion gang's operations and its national and international links. Raids are ongoing to locate other absconding suspects.- EndsMust Watch
NDTV
18-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Politicians, Top Cop In Conversion Mastermind Chhangur Baba's 'Red Diary'
New Delhi: Days after it was revealed that Chhangur Baba, alias Jamaluddin, the mastermind of a religious conversion gang, had Rs 106 crore in foreign funding, a 'red diary' has emerged in the ongoing probe. The document, retrieved during a raid by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), allegedly contains the names of several politicians and former officials who allegedly received financial backing from Chhangur Baba during the 2022 state Assembly elections. Multiple agencies, including the ATS, the Special Task Force (STF), and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), are now focused on this diary, which may provide evidence linking Chhangur Baba's sprawling Rs 106 crore foreign-funded empire. From Charm Seller to Political Financier Jamaluddin, known popularly as Chhangur Baba or Pir Baba, is a resident of Rehra Mafi village in Balrampur, a district bordering Nepal. He began his career selling rings and amulets on a bicycle. Then over the course of a decade, he built a multi-crore business model. Chhangur Baba's financial rise was fuelled by donations received from various Middle Eastern countries. Official estimates now suggest he maintained over 40 active bank accounts through which approximately Rs 106 crore was routed. Two of his properties -- one in Balrampur and another in Maharashtra's Lonavala -- are estimated to be worth over Rs 18 crore. The property in Lonavala, purchased in August 2023, was registered jointly in his and an associate's name. According to ED officials, a man named Mohammad Ahmed Khan sold the Lonavala land to Baba. An individual with the same name has also emerged as a suspected sender of funds into Baba's accounts. Political Links What is now under investigation is the alleged political patronage that Chhangur Baba cultivated. The red diary, according to sources, lists at least half a dozen politicians who are believed to have received substantial amounts of cash from Chhangur Baba. One entry in the diary allegedly details a payment of Rs 90 lakh to a former candidate from Utraula constituency for the 2022 assembly elections. Though the candidate lost, the diary indicates that Chhangur Baba was planning to back another -- a former IPS officer -- in the 2027 elections from the same seat. Over the years, Chhangur Baba is believed to have poured resources into political campaigns across Balrampur and neighbouring constituencies. According to sources, he played an active role in both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, not only by funding candidates but also by mobilising his followers to vote en masse. Photographs of Chhangur Baba with gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, who was killed in 2023, had earlier gone viral on social media. Foreign Funding and Conversion Chhangur Baba was arrested alongside Neetu alias Nasreen from a hotel in Lucknow on July 5. He faces allegations of orchestrating illegal religious conversions targeting economically vulnerable individuals, including widows, daily-wage labourers, and members of Scheduled Castes, using money, coercion, and promises of marriage. A case was initially registered by the STF in Balrampur. The ED later opened its own inquiry under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on July 9. The ED is also examining whether funds were routed through shell entities or third-party organisations, some of which may have ties to institutions under the scanner for violating the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). On July 17, the ED launched simultaneous raids at 14 premises, 12 in Utraula and two in Mumbai. Simultaneously, the local administration demolished sections of an illegally constructed complex in Madhupur village, about 3 km from Chhangur Baba's native village. Official documents revealed that the land was government-owned, and the building, which was monitored by 15 CCTV cameras and housed two guard dogs, had long been under suspicion.
India Today
17-07-2025
- India Today
Chhangur Baba conversion case: ED finds Croatian currency photo on associate's phone
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted extensive raids at 14 locations across Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai, uncovering potential international links in the Chhangur Baba religious conversion case. Key discovery was made at the Mumbai residence of Shehzad Sheikh, a close associate of the accused Naveen, where a photo of the Croatian currency, 'Kuna', was found on a mobile finding suggests that the religious conversion racket may have had international dimensions, with foreign currency potentially playing a role in the operations. The ED is now analysing data from Sheikh's mobile device to gather more information on this aspect. advertisementDuring the investigation, it was also found that Shehzad had sold some land to Chhangur Baba. Additionally, the ED will seize 10 properties owned by Chhangur Baba and his close associates, which have been identified during the agency is investigating financial trails linked to the racket, including a substantial Rs 2 crore transfer from an account associated with Naveen to Shehzad Sheikh. Properties worth over 40 crore, including those owned by Chhangur Baba and his associates, have also been identified for Baba was arrested earlier this month, accused of orchestrating large-scale religious conversions. The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has been involved in the investigation, revealing a complex network targeting vulnerable individuals, notably Hindu women and Baba, while denying the allegations, said, "I am innocent. I don't know anything." His arrest has brought to light a financial trail involving over Rs 500 crore allegedly funnelled from foreign sources into accounts linked to the properties linked to Chhangur Baba and his close associates have substantially increased in value, now estimated at over 40 crore. The ED has seized numerous property documents, with plans to officially attach these properties within the next two to three weeks.- EndsTune InMust Watch
