ED registers money laundering case in U.P. religious conversion racket

The Enforcement Directorate has registered a money laundering case in connection with a religious conversion racket recently busted in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district, official sources said Wednesday (July 9, 2025).

The agency has pressed various sections under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to look into the possible generation of “proceeds of crime” by the accused, they said.

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The probe by the central agency stems from an FIR filed by the U.P. Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) at a police station in Gomtinagar, Lucknow, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021.

The police have alleged that the accused acted in an organised manner to convert individuals from Hindu and other non-Muslim communities to Islam.

Four people, including the alleged mastermind Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba, have been arrested by the ATS as part of the investigation.

The three others are Naveen alias Jamaluddin and Mehboob, Jalaluddin’s son apart from Neetu alias Nasreen. They are lodged in jail currently.

The police had said in a statement that “the poor, helpless labourers, weaker sections, and widowed women were lured with incentives, financial aid, promises of marriage, or forced through intimidation, in violation of established procedures for religious conversion by the accused”.

The ED is trying to quantify the illicit funds generated in this case and the possible volume of the proceeds of crime under the PMLA. The accused will be questioned in due course of time, the sources said.

U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday that “initial probe” has shown that the activities of accused Jalaluddin are “not only against society but also against the nation”.

Asserting that there will be no leniency in matters related to law and order in the state, the chief minister stated, “The properties of the accused and other criminals linked to his gang will be seized, and strict legal action will be taken against them.”