From selling gemstones for different ‘astrological remedies’ for people’s problem on a bicycle while travelling from one village to another until 2015 to gaining popularity as Muslim religious preacher popular as ‘Peer Baba’ alias Hazrat Baba Jalaluddin, the Balrampur- based kingpin of illegal religious conversion racket, Jalaluddin Shah alias Chhaangur Baba came across a long way in the past one decade before landing in the net of UP Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on July 5, said senior police officials here on Tuesday.
They said the kingpin amassed multiple properties in Balrampur (Uttar Pradesh), Pune (Maharashtra) and a band of luxury vehicles in the past one decade. The officials said the sprawling property, located in Madhpur village under Uttaraula tehsil in Balrampur, which was demolished on Tuesday for being illegally constructed on gram sabha land was spread over nearly three bighas and estimated to be worth ₹3 crore.
They said the property had extensive living facilities for over 50 people and was equipped with CCTV surveillance systems. They said the property was in the name of his close accomplice Neetu Naveen Rohra who, along with her husband Naveen Rohra, was allegedly brainwashed by the kingpin during his visit to Mumbai and brought to Balrampur where they adopted new identities of Nasreen and Jamaluddn respectively after embracing Islam.
“Moreover, the kingpin has formed as many as 40 different organisations and opened as many bank accounts in their names. The UP ATS investigation revealed the transactions of over ₹100 crore from these bank accounts in the past few years and they suspect foreign funding behind all these transactions,” a senior police official privy to the investigation said, adding, “Chhaangur Baba and his associates had travelled to different Islamic countries for over 50 times in the past few years.”
{{/usCountry}}“Moreover, the kingpin has formed as many as 40 different organisations and opened as many bank accounts in their names. The UP ATS investigation revealed the transactions of over ₹100 crore from these bank accounts in the past few years and they suspect foreign funding behind all these transactions,” a senior police official privy to the investigation said, adding, “Chhaangur Baba and his associates had travelled to different Islamic countries for over 50 times in the past few years.”
{{/usCountry}}The cop said the kingpin of the racket amassed a fortune within a decade, with assets including properties, bungalows and luxury vehicles, suspected to have been funded through foreign sources. His fortunes changed after stints in Mumbai and Saudi Arabia, where he is believed to have built his network. He later set up an ashram near the shrine of Chandaulia Baba in Balrampur and developed links with influential officials, including police and administrative officers.
The official said the investigation into the racket also unearthed links between the kingpin and a court clerk from Utraula. The clerk’s wife was allegedly involved in a land deal worth ₹16 crore in Pune, with a profit-sharing clause. “Although the clerk denied involvement initially, both his wife and he have been named as accused in the ongoing investigation,” he added.
The official said the ATS is likely to report its findings to the Enforcement Directorate to probe the money laundering link involved in the case. He said the further investigation is likely to unravel several more facts and properties accumulated by allegedly operating an illegal religious conversion racket.
On Saturday, Jalaluddin alias Chhaangur Baba along with Nasreen was arrested in connection with a case of alleged forced religious conversions registered under sections 121A, 153A, 417, and 420 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 3, 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), and 8(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 at ATS police station in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow. Nasreen’s husband and Jalaluddin’s son Mehboob were arrested in the same case on April 8 earlier this year while efforts are on to arrest 14 more co-accused in the matter.
The ATS officials said Chhaangur Baba claimed to be a Sufi saint and published a book called “Shijar-e-Taiyya” to promote Islam. They said the racket allegedly lured poor and helpless individuals into converting to Islam by offering them financial incentives and threatening them with false cases. The gang also used love jihad tactics to convert Hindu girls to Islam. They said their nexus is spread across Balrampur and its adjoining districts across porous India-Nepal border.
The racket allegedly lured individuals into converting to Islam, including a woman named Gunja Gupta from Lucknow who was brainwashed and converted to Islam by Chhaangur Baba’s associates. They said Gunja Gupta was allegedly lured into a relationship by Abu Ansari, who used the alias “Amit” to gain her trust. She was then taken to Chhaangur Baba where she was brainwashed and converted to Islam, taking the name Aleena Ansari.
The ATS official said the gang had fixed amounts for converting individuals from different castes including ₹15-16 lakh for Brahmin, Sardar, or Kshatriya girls, ₹10-12 lakh for OBC girls, and ₹8-10 lakh for girls from other castes.
The ATS officials said the investigation into the matter was launched after receiving information about suspicious individuals, including Chhaangur Baba, Nasreen, Naveen alias Jamaluddin, and Mahboob, residing in Madhpur village of Balrampur district near the porous Nepal border, and purchasing properties worth crores of rupees allegedly funded through foreign funding.