UP Conversion Racket Busted: Caste-Based Rates Ranged From ₹15 Lakh To ₹8 Lakh

In a chilling revelation that exposes the sinister mechanics of illegal religious conversions in Uttar Pradesh, the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has busted a high-level conversion racket that allegedly fixed "rates" for converting Hindu girls based on their caste. The entire operation, estimated to be worth over ₹100 crore, is suspected to have been funded by foreign sources, with links to Islamic nations.

The kingpin of the racket, Jamaluddin alias "Changur Baba", who carried a ₹50,000 reward on his head, has been arrested along with his close aide Neetu alias Nasreen. The two were allegedly running a sophisticated network in Balrampur and surrounding districts, targeting young Hindu women from various caste backgrounds by luring them into relationships, trapping them emotionally, and eventually coercing them into religious conversion.

According to ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash, the group operated with military-like planning. What has shocked investigators is the caste-specific pricing structure used to value the conversions. For Brahmin, Kshatriya, and Sikh girls, the conversion payout ranged between Rs 15 to Rs 16 lakh. For OBC (Other Backward Classes) girls, the amount was pegged between Rs 10 to Rs 12 lakh, while those from other communities were priced at Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakh.

These amounts were allegedly paid from foreign funds routed through a maze of over 40 bank accounts—some in real names, others under fictitious identities. The ATS has found evidence of repeated foreign travel—primarily to Gulf countries—by members of the racket, believed to have been for ideological indoctrination and financial coordination.

The racket not only targeted girls under the guise of love and marriage but also preyed on the economically weak, offering them monetary support and protection in exchange for religious conversion. Victims were taken to Jamaluddin’s Dargah in Balrampur, where they were renamed and inducted into Islam. In one such case, a Hindu woman named Gunja Gupta was lured by a man named "Abu Ansari" posing as "Amit". She was later renamed "Alina Ansari" post-conversion.

ATS officials also recovered printed materials used for indoctrination, including a book titled Shijar-e-Tayyaba, authored by Jamaluddin himself, used to brainwash new converts and legitimize the ideological motives of the group.

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The investigation has so far named several co-accused, including Mahboob, Pinky Harijan, Hazeera Shankar, Sagir, self-proclaimed journalist Amen Rizvi, and Neetu. Raids are underway to apprehend other members of the network, some of whom are still at large.

The caste-based conversion model, bolstered by suspected international funding and ideological training, has raised serious concerns for law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Officials fear the implications are not just limited to criminal exploitation, but may extend to long-term threats to national security, social cohesion, and communal stability.

The Yogi Adityanath-led government has declared that it will pursue the matter to its full extent, calling the revelations “a dangerous conspiracy against the fabric of Indian society.”