UP Police busts interstate religious conversion racket, arrests 10 with alleged global links

In a sweeping multi-state crackdown, the Uttar Pradesh Police has announced the arrest of 10 individuals allegedly involved in a wide-ranging illegal religious conversion network, uncovering international funding routes and links to banned or extremist outfits.

The arrests span six states — Goa, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh — and stem from the abduction of two sisters, aged 33 and 18, from Agra in March. Acting on leads in the case, the police traced the women to a house in Kolkata, where they were rescued in the presence of their family.

According to UP Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna, the group behind the abduction was allegedly operating a covert religious conversion network targeting women and minors across multiple states. Investigators claim the network received funding from countries like Canada and maintained links with groups such as the Popular Front of India (PFI), Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), and suspected extremist organizations in Pakistan.

“This is not just a case of abduction. It has revealed a larger, deeply entrenched operation spanning states and involving a complex web of actors and international financing,” said DGP Krishna.

The accused — aged between 18 and 35 — include individuals from varied backgrounds, some employed in private and government sectors, and others running local businesses. Police identified them as Ayesha alias S B Krishna (Goa), Ali Hasan alias Shekhar Roy, Ritwanik and Osama (Kolkata), Rahman Qureshi (Agra), Abu Talib (Muzaffarnagar), Abdur Rahman alias Rupendra Singh (Dehradun), Mohammad Ali and Junaid Qureshi (Rajasthan), and Mustafa alias Manoj (Delhi). One more suspect remains at large abroad.

Police said the group played multiple roles within the network—managing foreign funds, providing safe houses, supplying new mobile devices and SIM cards, preparing fake documents for conversions, and offering legal cover.

Agra Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar confirmed that a 10-day police custody remand has been secured to interrogate the accused.

The operation falls under 'Mission Asmita', a state-wide campaign against illegal conversions. It builds on earlier arrests, including Mohammad Umar Gautam and Jahangir Alam Qasmi, and more recently, Jamaluddin alias Chhangur Baba and his associates in Balrampur.

Given the transnational implications and the scale of the operation, specialized units like the UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) and Special Task Force (STF) have been roped in to intensify the probe. Officials say the total number of conversions linked to the network will emerge after further custodial interrogation.