E-Paper
Man held for religious conversions through online gaming
A person from Ghaziabad was arrested on Thursday and during his interrogation, Khan’s name came to light, a police officer said, adding, “Ghaziabad police then alerted Mumbra police regarding the religious conversion racket by Khan, which is being operated through an online game.”
Thane: A 23-year-old man was arrested from Alibaug for allegedly converting children into Islam through online games, said police officials on Sunday. The accused – identified as Shahnawaz Maksood Khan, a resident of Mumbra – used the digital name ‘Baddo’ and allegedly targetted children who played ‘Fortnite.’
A person from Ghaziabad was arrested on Thursday and during his interrogation, Khan’s name came to light, a police officer said, adding, “Ghaziabad police then alerted Mumbra police regarding the religious conversion racket by Khan, which is being operated through an online game.”
According to the police, Khan along with his family was on the run for the last few days and his house in Mumbra was also found to be locked.
DCP Ganesh Gawade from Mumbra said, “Based on technical intelligence, we traced him at Alibaug’s cottage and arrested him. Further investigation is undergoing.”
Ghaziabad police on Thursday recorded the statement of Khan’s mother, Mumtaz Khan, in connection with the online gaming conversion case, a police officer said, adding, “The statement was recorded at Mumbra police station in Thane.”
The development came after the Uttar Pradesh Police uncovered a conversion racket in which teenagers were allegedly being targeted through an online gaming application ‘Fortnite’ and were enticed to convert their religion.
Police sources said after the case was registered in Ghaziabad, Khan, along with his two brothers, and mother left for Maharashtra’s Solapur in a car. On reaching Solapur, Shahnawaz and his brother left for another location, added the sources.