Conversion racket: ED raids Chhangur Baba’s network in UP, Mumbai; Rs 100 crore foreign funding under lens

LUCKNOW: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday carried out searches at 14 locations linked to alleged religious conversion syndicate mastermind Chhangur Baba, seven days after registering a PMLA case against him.

These included 12 sites in Balrampur and two in Mumbai, as part of its probe into a suspected Rs 100-crore foreign funding racket. Searches, which began at 5 am, involved 20 ED teams backed by CRPF and civil police and continued till late evening.


'Money financed illegal land deals, assets & conversions'
According to sources, the operation was triggered by intelligence shared by the Uttar Pradesh ATS, which flagged suspicious hawala transactions, bank transfers, and foreign remittances connected to the syndicate.

Preliminary findings indicate that around Rs 68 crore was routed through 18 bank accounts, with at least Rs 7 crore received in three months via foreign channels.

Investigators suspect the money financed illegal land deals, luxury assets, and mass religious conversions disguised as cultural events.

The first search targeted Baba Tajuddin Boutique in Subhash Nagar, Utraula, allegedly run by Neetu, alias Nasreen, accused of counselling women for conversion in the garb of this place. Allegations are that the women who agreed to convert were later taken to the mansion of Baba Chhangur.

Later, ED searched the residence of Chhangur Baba's son Mehboob, as well as the homes of Jamaluddin and Nasreen, believed to have converted under Baba's influence. Teams also searched properties of three former village heads-Jumman Khan, Durgesh Kumar, and Santosh Trigunayat-and a local lekhpal whose wife, Sangeeta Devi, reportedly entered a profit-sharing deal with the syndicate.

In Mumbai, ED searched two plush addresses linked to Shehzad Sheikh, a key aide of Chhangur Baba, including Kanakia Paris (Bandra East) and Rizvi Heights (Mahim West). Documents recovered indicate Rs 2 crore in suspicious transfers, allegedly routed through Balrampur resident Naveen, to fund conversion operations.

Searches covered properties in Asipiya, Rehra Mafi, Hashmi Hussaini Collection, and Baba Tajuddin Collection, along with Chhangur's partially demolished 40-room mansion. Investigators seized expired passports of Neetu and Naveen, showing 19 UAE visits. Chhangur is suspected of using a fake passport for Dubai trips, allegedly to oversee the funding and conversion network.