LUCKNOW: Seven days after registering a money laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Thursday, launched searches at 14 locations connected to Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba, the alleged mastermind of a massive illegal religious conversion syndicate in Uttar Pradesh.
According to official sources, the ED carried out searches at 12 premises in Utraula area of Balrampur district in central UP and at two locations in Mumbai.
The searches began as early as 5 am on Thursday.
The probe follows suspected foreign remittances exceeding Rs 100 crore into nearly 40 bank accounts linked to Chhangur Baba and his associates.
According to sources, the operation is based on documents and leads handed over to ED by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) which uncovered links to hawala networks and foreign funding during their earlier probe into Chhangur Baba’s activities.
ED's investigation has so far uncovered Rs 68 crore worth of transactions in 18 out of 30 bank accounts associated with the syndicate. Of this, Rs 7 crore of foreign funding arrived in just three months. This money came via hawala and money laundering routes from several countries.
The gang allegedly used the funds to purchase bungalows, Fortuner SUVs, showrooms, and to organize grand religious events such as Urs celebrations at Chhangur Baba’s shrine.
Evidence of a building used as a terrorist training camp has also been recovered.
Multiple shell companies and trusts, including Asvi Enterprises, Asvi Charitable Trust, and Baba Tajuddin Asvi Boutique, are on ED’s radar with bank entries worth crores in their names.
In Mumbai, ED raided a location in Bandra linked to Shahzada, an associate of Chhangur Baba. As per the sources, the initial findings indicated the transfer of Rs 2 crore to Shahzada’s account via Naveen, a Balrampur resident. This transaction is believed to be part of the hawala funding mechanism used to finance conversion activities.
In Balrampur, ED also searched the home of Durgesh, another associate of Chhangur Baba. ATS investigations revealed Durgesh had illegally sold land to Chhangur Baba and on it a 3-bigha plot was being developed into a luxurious structure intended for a degree college.
Part of Chhangur Baba’s palatial mansion, which had over 40 rooms, was demolished earlier during a bulldozer operation. Sources say the gang’s financial network includes accounts in foreign banks located in UAE, Dubai, and Sharjah. These were used to send funds into India via channels like Axis Bank, SBI, HDFC, Emirates NBD, Federal Bank, and Al Ansari Exchange.
According to ATS sources, Chhangur Baba formed a team of 1000 to 1500 Muslim youths across states like Maharashtra, Bihar, Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and UP. Their primary operation revolved around religious conversion and 'love jihad', with a special focus on seven districts bordering Nepal.
The gang used secret codewords in their operations — 'applying kajal' for brainwashing, 'changing soil' for conversion, 'new case' for a newly targeted girl, and 'showing them' for presenting girls before Chhangur Baba. Most victims were women under the age of 30.