Instagram, threats and a 15 year racket: How Chhangur Baba lured women into forced conversions

Bengaluru, July 28 The arrest of Maulana Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba in connection with a religious conversion racket has exposed how deeply this problem is rooted. Baba was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad after it was found that he ran a massive conversion racket and minted money in crores.

Preliminary investigations showed that Chhangur Baba and his associates were involved in illegal conversion activities only in UP. However, as the probe progressed, it was found that Baba and his aides were involved in similar activities in Uttarakhand as well.

The probe has found that Chhangur Baba and his associates had set up a huge network whereby women would be trapped and then converted. They used social media platforms such as Instagram to post religious content through which these women would be brainwashed.

These issues came to light following the arrest of Abdul Rehman from Dehradun and Abu Taleb from Muzaffarnagar. They allegedly trapped two women through posts on social media.

During their questioning, they revealed that they would first establish casual contact with young women. Over time, the women would be exposed to religious content, and this is when the propaganda and brainwashing would begin.

The accused would mostly target vulnerable women who have financial constraints or family problems. These accused would offer them emotional support and also promise them financial benefits. However, all this was subject to the condition that they would convert.

One of the accused in the case, Abdul Rehman, is said to have been involved in this racket for a long time. He has been living in Dehradun for nearly ten years and operated under the name Rupendra Yadav.

During interrogation of the accused, it was found that a love jihad wing was being headed by one Rashid, a resident of Balrampur in UP. He was entrusted with running this wing. The men working under him were tasked with identifying vulnerable women and then getting them to convert.

The police learnt that the specific targets were the Scheduled Castes, vulnerable Hindu women and girls, and the economically backward. Some of the victims trapped had health issues, and they were promised that once they converted, their health issues would be gone.

With the busting of this racket, more women have been approaching the police seeking action.

Earlier this month, a man from Uttar Pradesh accused Chhangur Baba of brainwashing him. He told the police that he was threatened that his two daughters would be killed if he did not convert. The complainant, Jyotirgmay Rai (35), said that he had married a woman called Ishita through an Arya Samaj ceremony. He later realised that her real name was Afreen.

He said that they have two daughters, and after the marriage of the second one, he was being pressured to convert.

This case does not restrict itself to India alone. The Enforcement Directorate is probing the massive money trail. The case that has been registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) says that this syndicate has received funds to the tune of Rs 106 crore, mainly from the Middle East.

This gang has been in operation for nearly 15 years now and may have converted hundreds of people, the police suspect.

The UP ATS during its probe found that the syndicate headed by Chhangur Baba and his associate Neetu alias Nasreen operated 40 different bank accounts. The money coming in from abroad would be deposited in these accounts.

The UP administration has started demolishing the illegally procured properties by this syndicate. The money coming in from abroad was used to purchase these properties.

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