The Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh has dealt a significant blow to illegal religious conversion networks with the arrest of a man described by officials as the kingpin of a vast foreign-funded conspiracy.
Jamaluddin, also known as Changur Baba, was apprehended by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Madhpur village of Balrampur district after evading capture for several months.
A reward of Rs 50,000 had been declared for information leading to his arrest.
Announcing the breakthrough, Additional Director General (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash outlined the syndicate’s operations, which allegedly weaponised romantic relationships to coerce Hindu women into religious conversion.
One of the most disturbing cases involved a woman from Lucknow, Gunja Gupta, who was reportedly lured by a man posing as “Amit” and taken to Changur Baba’s shrine, where she was renamed Alina Ansari.
Investigators uncovered that the group ran a dual operation involving religious manipulation and large-scale financial fraud.
Members of the network reportedly travelled to Islamic countries nearly forty times and opened over 40 bank accounts linked to shell organisations.
An estimated Rs 100 crore was routed through these accounts, allegedly sourced from abroad. The funds were used to acquire luxury vehicles, real estate, and commercial properties across Uttar Pradesh.
Among those arrested was Neetu alias Nasreen, said to be a key figure in the group’s activities. The syndicate allegedly assigned financial incentives to each conversion, with women from Brahmin, Kshatriya, and Sikh backgrounds being “valued” higher than others. Those who resisted were reportedly threatened with fabricated legal cases.
Authorities believe the operation was masked as a spiritual outreach. Jamaluddin is also said to have published a book titled ‘Shijra-e-Tayyaba’, which was allegedly used as a tool for ideological indoctrination.
The ATS continues to pursue the remaining suspects, including individuals identified as Mehboob, Pinky Harijan, Hazira Shankar, Sagir, and a person claiming to be a journalist, Amen Rizvi.
Officials describe the racket as an organised and dangerous confluence of coercion, financial crime, and extremist propaganda.
