On 11th June 2023, Thane Police arrested Baddo alias Shahnawaz Maksood Khan in Alibag of Maharashtra. He was wanted as the main accused in the Ghaziabad conversion case in which non-Muslim youths were being converted to Islam through online games. So far, 3 Hindu boys and 1 Jain boy have been identified as victims, brainwashed through a game called Fortnite. Thane police have also arrested Baddo’s brother in this case.
A case of converting non-Muslim youths to Islam surfaced in Ghaziabad on 30th May 2023 when a victim youth’s filed a complaint at Kavinagar Police Station in which he said his minor son was lured into practising Islam by Islamists online. A team was formed to investigate the matter after filing an FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
During the investigation, police found that the real identity of the online handle Baddo with whom the victim was talking regularly, was Shahnawaz Maksood Khan s/o Maksood Khan of Shazia Apartment, Devipada Mumbra under Mumbra Police Station area, Thane, Maharashtra. A special team of UP Police was sent to Thane, Maharashtra to arrest the accused. Shahnawaz Maksood Khan was the mastermind behind the nexus. He was absconding since the case came to light.
DCP Nagar Zone Nipun Agarwal said so far four boys (one Jain and three Hindus) have been identified as victims. Two of them (one Jain and one Hindu) are from Ghaziabad, one (Hindu) from Faridabad and one (Hindu) from Chandigarh.
On 11th June 2023, Shahnawaz Khan was arrested in Alibag City of Maharashtra by a team of the Thane police. He will be handed over to the UP police after completing the transfer formalities.
A maulvi was also arrested in this case of forced conversion
Another accused identified as Maulvi Abdul Rehman alias Nanni s/o Mehmood Ansari or Sanjaynagar in the Madhuban Bapudham Police Station area of Ghaziabad was apprehended by the police.