UP ATS busts conversion racket; 2 held, Rs 100 cr foreign funding uncovered

Lucknow: In a major breakthrough in its ongoing crackdown against illegal religious conversions, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested the kingpin of a well-organised conversion racket—Jamaluddin alias “Changur Baba”—who carried a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head. His aide, Neetu alias Nasreen, was also taken into custody.

The racket, active in Balrampur district, allegedly operated a large-scale network that targeted Hindu girls with caste-based “conversion rates”, backed by foreign funding and laundering of nearly Rs 100 crore. According to ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash, the accused had purchased luxurious properties, showrooms, bungalows and high-end cars in a short span of time using money believed to have come from Islamic countries. The racket’s operatives had travelled abroad at least 40 times, primarily to Gulf nations, allegedly for ideological training and financial coordination. Over 40 bank accounts were opened under real and fictitious identities to facilitate the transfer of foreign funds.

Investigations have revealed that the gang systematically lured Hindu girls into relationships using false identities and false promises of marriage. Once emotionally trapped, the victims were taken to Changur Baba’s Dargah in Balrampur, where they were converted to Islam and given new Muslim names. In one such case, a Hindu woman named Gunja Gupta was trapped by a man named “Abu Ansari” who introduced himself as “Amit”. She was later taken to the Dargah and renamed “Alina Ansari”. The promise of a better life, financial security and protection was often used as bait.

More disturbingly, the ATS found that the gang had fixed “conversion rates” based on the girl’s caste. For Brahmin, Kshatriya and Sikh girls, the price ranged from Rs 15 to Rs 16 lakh. For girls from backward castes, it was Rs 10 to Rs 12 lakh, and for those from other communities, it ranged from Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakh.

The group did not limit itself to romantic manipulation. Poor and vulnerable individuals were also targeted with offers of financial help in exchange for religious conversion. Those who resisted were reportedly threatened with false criminal cases.

ATS sources said that the racket was run like a covert mission, with proper documentation, including the publication of a religious book titled Shijar-e-Tayyaba by Jamaluddin, used for ideological indoctrination and brainwashing.