UP's Chhangur Baba accused in ₹500 crore conversion racket with money trail from Muslim nations via Nepal

In a major crackdown on alleged illegal religious conversions, Uttar Pradesh’s Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has unearthed a sprawling foreign funding network centered around self-styled godman Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba. The agency has revealed that the controversial figure received nearly ₹500 crore over the last three years — funds that are now being linked to a pan-India conversion racket with deep cross-border roots.

According to the ATS, ₹200 crore of this funding has been officially confirmed, while another ₹300 crore is believed to have been funneled through Nepal via illegal hawala transactions. Investigators say the money originated from Muslim-majority countries including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Turkey, and was allegedly used to target economically weaker communities across several Indian districts for religious conversions.

The funds were routed through over 100 bank accounts opened in Nepal’s bordering districts —Kathmandu, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, and Banke — before being smuggled into India. Local agents, operating on 4–5% commission, played a key role in laundering the money into Uttar Pradesh districts such as Balrampur, Bahraich, Shravasti, and Lakhimpur, often using Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs) and informal money exchange networks.

According to ATS officials, Ayodhya district emerged as a hotspot for the alleged conversion activities, with reports suggesting that Hindu girls were among those targeted. Authorities have now flagged 40 bank accounts linked to Chhangur and his aides for forensic scrutiny.

The investigation has also expanded into neighbouring Bihar, where agents from districts including Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Purnia, Kishanganj, Champaran and Supaul are suspected of helping smuggle funds from Nepal into Indian territory.

In addition to religious conversion charges, financial irregularities are also being pursued. The ATS is currently reviewing ten years of income tax records related to the case. So far, investigators have tracked down ₹34.22 crore in six bank accounts belonging to a man named Naveen Rohra, and another ₹13.90 crore in accounts under the name of a woman identified as Nasreen.

Authorities are also probing Chhangur’s possible foreign bank accounts in Sharjah, Dubai, and the UAE.

Meanwhile, in a symbolic move, district officials in Balrampur demolished Chhangur Baba’s illegally constructed 40-room mansion—a ₹5 crore estate reportedly built on encroached government land. The palatial bungalow, complete with a marble-clad security gate, was razed over three days using ten bulldozers.

The ATS maintains that investigations are ongoing, with more arrests and revelations expected in the coming days as the conversion-for-cash web unravels across borders.