The Uttar Pradesh ATS has arrested two men identified as Umar Gautam and Mufti Qazi Jehangir involved in illegal religious conversions. According to police, women, and physically challenged children were their targets. The duo was arrested from the Jamia Nagar area in Delhi.
Prashant Kumar, Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order), said that the arrested were running a conversion racket that was being funded by Pakistan’s spy agency ISI, as per a report in India TV.
Umar Gautam who is a convert himself revealed that they converted around 250-300 people every year. During the interrogation, Umar also informed that they targeted people from the economically weaker section of the society including women, children and the disabled. They were also getting the women married so that they do not return to their original faith.
ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar informed on Monday, “He (Umar Gautam) has converted 1,000 persons till now. Was acting at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI.”
“The accused were using enticement, provocation and deceit to convert people apart from creating distrust and promoting enmity among different communities,” he added.
Kumar further informed that the Institution Islamic Dawa Center in Jamia Nagar was created with the sole purpose to convert unsuspecting people to Islam in an organised manner and sought funds for the same.
Gautam confessed to having converted around 1,500 children at school for the deaf and mute in Noida after the school management was enticed with promises of employment and money.
Moreover, the converted children were being sent to a Southern state. The police approached the parents of such children.
“The case was found to be true. Children were tight-lipped out of fear instilled in them. The accused used to radicalise the victims and tell them that Islam is a better religion and lured with promises of money, employment and support,” Kumar said.
Others accused in the case are being traced by the police.
