DU grad, MBA linked to ‘inter-state conversion racket’ held by UP police

AGRA: Four people, including a Delhi University (DU) graduate and an MBA, were arrested by UP police from Rajasthan and Delhi in connection with an inter-state illegal religious conversion racket. In total, 18 suspects have been held in the case so far, police said.Agra CP Deepak Kumar told TOI: “Under ‘Operation Asmita’, launched by CM for the protection of women, four more accused -- Jatin Kapoor alias Jasim, Mohammed Hasan, Talmeez ur Rahman and Pravez Akhtar -- have been arrested. Kapoor, 32, an MBA and a Delhi resident, works as a freelance web designer. Using expertise in digital space, Kapoor used to lure youngsters for religious conversion. Hasan, 59, a resident of Rajasthan’s Deeg district, used to prepare marriage documents for girls. Tamiz, 47, runs a shoe and fruit business, and his location was traced to Kashmir -- he was in contact with Abdul Rehman, the main accused in the conversion case. The fourth person, Pravez, a DU graduate, runs a computer hardware shop in Delhi.”According to cops, Kapoor and Pravez were radicalised by the main accused to join the gang.CP Kumar added that 14 individuals were arrested earlier. “After those arrests, some members went into hiding; but we kept them under surveillance. As soon as their activities resurfaced, we obtained NBWs from court and arrested all four. So far, police have rescued over a dozen girls from Rajasthan, Haryana, Jharkhand, UP and Uttarakhand. Their source of funds for conversion activities remains under investigation.”The case first came to light last year after the disappearance of two sisters, aged 33 and 18 years, from Agra. An FIR was registered at Sadar Bazaar under BNS sections 87 (kidnapping) and 111 (organised crime), along with provisions of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. One of the victims had given a statement in front of the magistrate that she was forcefully converted, police said.