Illegal religious conversion racket busted in Agra, 10 arrested, international links found

In a major crackdown, Agra Police have busted a religious conversion syndicate, marking the second such racket exposed in the city. This was revealed by DGP Rajeev Krishna during a press conference in Lucknow.

A total of 10 individuals involved in illegal religious conversions have been arrested from Agra. The arrests were made following coordinated raids across six states.

According to the DGP, the investigation has uncovered links to organisations like PFI and SDPI, as well as connections to a Pakistani terrorist. The operation was carried out with the involvement of the Special Task Force (STF) and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).

Accused had international links 

Further probe has revealed that the accused had international links, with connections traced to Canada, Dubai, and London. Authorities have found evidence related to radicalisation and instances of ‘love jihad’ during the course of the investigation.

Raids were conducted in several states including West Bengal, Goa, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttarakhand, resulting in multiple arrests. Those apprehended were picked up from locations such as Goa, Kolkata, Agra, Muzaffarnagar, Dehradun, Jaipur, and Delhi.

Man arrested for links with Chhangur Baba gang

Earlier, the UP ATS arrested a man for his alleged connection with the Chhangur Baba gang, accused of large-scale religious conversions and receiving foreign funds through hawala route, officials said.

The accused identified as Abdul Rehman was detained from the Sahaspur area on Thursday and taken to Agra, where he was formally arrested after a detailed investigation, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh said.

He had reportedly converted to Islam from Hinduism between 2014 and 2015. The UP ATS shared information with local police, leading to the tracing of a woman in Ranipokhari who was reportedly in contact with an accused named Rehman.

Her father, Rajkumar Bajaj, alleged she was being pressured to convert. A case has been registered under the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act against five accused, two from Delhi, two from Uttar Pradesh, and one from Goa. Police teams have been sent to arrest them.