Instagram, emotional & financial support: How Chhangur Baba, aides luredwomen into forced conversions

 

 

THE arrest of Maulana Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba in connection with a religious conversion racket has exposed how deeply this problemis rooted.Babawas arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad after it was found that he ran a massive conversion racket and minted money in crores. Preliminary investigations showed that ChhangurBaba and his associates were involved in illegal conversion activities only in UP. However,as theprobeprogressed, it was found that Baba and his aides were involved in similar activities in Uttarakhand as well.

 

The probe has found that Chhangur Baba and his associates had set up a huge network whereby women would be trapped and then converted. They used social media platforms such as Instagram to post religious content through which these women would be brainwashed. These issues came to light following the arrest of Abdul Rehman fromDehradunandAbu Taleb from Muzaffarnagar. They allegedly trapped two women through posts on social media. During theirquestioning,they revealed that they would first establish casual contact with young women. Over time, the womenwouldbe exposed toreligious content, and this is when the propaganda and brain washing would begin. The accused would mostly target vulnerable women who have financial constraints or family problems.

 

These accused would offerthememotionalsupportandalsopromise themfinancialbenefits. However, all this was subject tothe condition that they wouldconvert. Oneof the accusedin thecase, Abdul Rehman, is said to havebeen involved in this racket fora long time. He has been livinginDehradun for nearly tenyearsand operated under the nameRupendra Yadav. During interrogation of theaccused, it was found that a lovejihad wing was being headed byone Rashid, a resident of Balrampurin UP. He was entrusted with running this wing. Themen working under him weretasked with identifying vulnerable women and then gettingthem to convert.