Jamaluddin alias Chhangur Baba, the alleged mastermind of a religious conversion gang, was arrested on July 5 with his aides for forcing young women and men to convert their religion by luring them with financial incentives, foreign travel, jobs and scholarships. Project, mitti palatna, kajal lagana and darshan were the code words he used at several stages to communicate with his aides in a bid to hide his activities.
"Project" referred to women, "mitti palatna" meant religious conversion, "Kajal lagana" meant manipulation and "darshan" referred to introducing the victims to Chhangur Baba. The court issued a non-bailable warrant against Jalaluddin.
What Is The Case?
The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and the Enforcement Directorate are probing the case. During the investigation, Chhangur Baba revealed that he used code words to communicate with his aides in a bid to hide his activities.
Chhangur Baba with his aides used to lure several people, especially women, to convert their faith by offering them financial incentives, scholarships, jobs and foreign travel. The STF said that a 16-year-old girl from Faridabad was one of the alleged victims of the fraudster, as they showed her ‘big dreams’ to convert her religion.
The girl alleged that she was trapped by Aamir Hussain, a boy who lives near her house, on the pretext of love. She met him through his sister Neha in 2023. Hussian took her to Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi, where he introduced her to Chhangur Baba. Chhangur Baba made her offer Namaz, lured her to convert her religion to Islam and asked her to marry Hussian. Chhangur Baba showed her ‘big dreams’ and he gave her an amulet and asked her to dip it in water and drink the water. Hussain was arrested by the police.
Another incident also surfaced where the fraudster offered a lot of money to a sweeper who worked at his premises and forced him to convert his religion to Islam. Baba said that the money will help him buy a car, improve his standard of living and get his child married. Though when the sweeper refused the offer, he threatened him to get him shot. The sweeper fled the premises that night.
What Is Known So Far?
During the investigation, the STF and ED revealed his account statement showing transactions worth Rs 60 crore. In a span of three months, seven crore was deposited in his account through global funding. ED gathered details of 18 out of 40 bank accounts linked to Chhangur Baba. Efforts are underway to reveal details about his Income Tax Returns, NDTV sources reported.
Chhangur Baba once used to sell rings and amulets on his bicycle. He later became a village head. Funds worth Rs 60 crore were deposited in his 40 different bank accounts from Islamic countries of the Middle East.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the initial probe revealed that the activities of the accused are "not only against society but also against the nation.”
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