Conversion Racket Case: ED Gets Custody of Chhangur Baba Till August 1

Lucknow:
A special PMLA court in Lucknow has granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) five-day custody of Chhangur Baba—also known as Jalaluddin or Karimulla Shah—until August 1. The custody is linked to an ongoing money-laundering probe into an alleged illegal religious conversion racket operating in Uttar Pradesh.

Chhangur Baba is already in jail under charges filed by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) related to a predicate offence. The ED will question him in jail and record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Earlier this month, the ED conducted raids at his residence in Balrampur and two locations in Mumbai. Investigators claim he and his associates received over ₹60 crore across 22 bank accounts, including significant foreign funding.

The money-laundering case stems from an ATS FIR registered in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar under sections of the IPC and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021. Chhangur Baba, his son Mehboob, and alleged accomplices Naveen Rohra (alias Jamaluddin) and Neetu Rohra (alias Nasreen) have all been arrested and are currently in jail.

The ATS alleges a widespread conspiracy involving forced religious conversions, misuse of foreign funds, and activities posing threats to national security. Authorities claim that the accused operated from the Chand Auliya Dargah in Balrampur, where large gatherings—including foreign nationals—were held.

According to the ED, Chhangur Baba is accused of targeting vulnerable individuals, especially Scheduled Castes and the economically disadvantaged from the Hindu community, for conversion. The agency has uncovered documents indicating that illicit funds were used to buy real estate and finance construction, with assets registered under the names of Naveen and Neetu Rohra to conceal the true ownership.

Following Chhangur Baba’s arrest, illegal properties linked to him were demolished by the Balrampur district administration. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has condemned the accused’s actions as both anti-social and “anti-national.”

News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.