• Source:JND
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Jalaluddin Shah, also known as Chhangur Baba, the prime accused in the alleged religious conversion racket in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur, has broken his silence for the first time, asserting that he is innocent.

Chhangur Baba and his close aide, Neetu Naveen Rohra alias Nasreen, were taken for a medical examination at a Community Health Centre, where he briefly spoke to the media. “I am innocent. I don't know anything,” he said, according to ANI news agency.

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Chhangur Baba, the alleged mastermind behind a religious conversion network, was arrested on July 5 by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police.

Chhangur Baba, Mastermind Of Religious Conversion Racket In UP 

He stands accused of orchestrating a large-scale religious conversion racket in Uttar Pradesh. He is currently being interrogated by the Uttar Pradesh Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in connection with the allegations. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also stepped in after preliminary investigations indicated that the racket may have received foreign funding of around Rs 106 crore, primarily from the Middle East, as well as amassed illegal assets across multiple states.

Last week, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) took Chhangur Baba to Madhpur village in Balrampur, the site from where he is believed to have run his alleged religious conversion racket. He was brought to a sprawling bungalow in the area, reportedly owned by his associates, as part of efforts to gather more information about the suspected conversion activities that took place there, according to ATS officials.

According to local authorities, the bungalow linked to Chhangur Baba was illegally constructed, and demolition began last Wednesday. The ATS team reportedly stayed there for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate's Lucknow zonal office has booked Chhangur Baba under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), following an FIR filed by the Uttar Pradesh ATS.

New Charges On Chhangur Baba 

A family from Ghaziabad has accused Chhangur Baba and his aide Badar Akhtar Siddique of luring their daughter under the pretext of a job in Dubai. The girl has been missing since October 24, 2019. Her sister claimed Siddique befriended her during a tour and travel course, offered rides, and gradually brainwashed her before she vanished.

ALSO READ: Chhangur Baba Used Code Names 'Project', 'Darshan' To Run Religious Conversion Racket

“This started in 2019. My sister went missing in October 2019 and after that, we only received a few messages from her phone until the end of October. The spelling and typing style in those messages were very different, not how my sister used to type, which made us suspicious that the phone was no longer with her" she said as quoted by news agency IANS.