A man accused of masterminding a massive illegal religious conversion racket has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), unravelling a story that began with him peddling gemstones on a bicycle and allegedly ended with a sprawling ₹300-crore property empire.
Jalaluddin Shah, known locally as ‘Chhangur Baba’, was taken into custody on Saturday by the ATS, which on Wednesday secured a week’s remand to question him and his associate Neetu, also known as Nasreen.
They stand accused of operating an organised racket to convert people from Hindu and non-Muslim communities to Islam, police said.
Once a wandering astrologer in rural Uttar Pradesh, Shah’s transformation reportedly began after stints in Mumbai and Saudi Arabia. According to the Hindustan Times, he is believed to have built a powerful network abroad.
Over the past decade, he reinvented himself as ‘Peer Baba’ or Hazrat Jalaluddin, a Sufi-style preacher operating from an ashram near the shrine of Chandaulia Baba in Balrampur, close to the India-Nepal border.
Senior police officials claim Shah and his network amassed vast wealth, acquiring properties worth over ₹300 crore across Balrampur, nearby districts and Pune in Maharashtra.
The accused allegedly owned luxury cars, bungalows and dozens of properties registered under the names of close associates or NGOs.
A senior officer said Shah and his aides made more than 50 trips to various Islamic countries in recent years, raising suspicions about foreign funding.
Investigators say they found evidence of ₹106 crore in suspicious transactions through more than a dozen bank accounts linked to various NGOs set up by the accused.
“He formed about 40 organisations and opened as many bank accounts. Our investigation found transactions of over ₹100 crore in recent years and we suspect foreign funding behind them,” an ATS officer said.
The ATS arrested Shah and Nasreen on 5 July under the Indian Penal Code and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
Nasreen’s husband, Jamaluddin alias Naveen Rohra, and Shah’s son Mehboob were arrested in April in the same case. Fourteen other suspects are still on the run, police said.
The NGOs run by Shah and his group allegedly served as a front to funnel illicit funds. The Enforcement Directorate has now launched a money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
One significant transaction under the scanner is a ₹16 crore land deal in Pune, which allegedly involved a court clerk from Utraula in Uttar Pradesh and his wife, who are now named accused. Officials said the market value of the land could exceed ₹200 crore today.
At the heart of the alleged illegal operation was a three-bigha property in Madhpur village under Utraula tehsil in Balrampur.
The complex, equipped with CCTV and accommodation for more than 50 people, was demolished after officials determined it was built illegally on government land. It was registered under Nasreen’s name.
Police claim Nasreen and her husband were radicalised by Shah during his time in Mumbai before being brought to Balrampur, where they adopted Islamic identities.
Investigators say the racket’s modus operandi included offering financial incentives to the poor and using threats of false cases to coerce conversions.
The gang also allegedly used ‘love jihad’ tactics, such as the case of Gunja Gupta from Lucknow, who was lured by an associate named Abu Ansari posing as ‘Amit’. She was later converted and renamed Aleena Ansari.
The ATS probe has found the gang allegedly charged ₹15-16 lakh to convert women from Brahmin, Sardar or Kshatriya backgrounds, ₹10-12 lakh for OBCs and ₹8-10 lakh for other castes.
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