A major case of religious conversion has surfaced in the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. Police raided a madrasa in the Faiz Nagar area and busted a gang involved in conversions. Hindu youths were first brainwashed and then forced or lured into conversion. After the truth came out, fear spread in the village.
Sister said â ‘My brother did not force anyone’
The main accused, Abdul Majid’s sister, Ayesha, told the media that her brother never forced anyone to change religion. She claimed that Islam is so beautiful that people adopt it on their own. Ayesha lives in the same madrasa where the network was running. She said that eight days ago her brother’s daughter was born and their mother went to jail to meet him.
What did the villagers say?
When Bhaskar’s team reached Faiz Nagar, locals avoided speaking openly. A woman living near the madrasa said only Muslim children studied there. She claimed she had no idea about other activities. An elderly villager revealed that Majid trapped a Jaipur youth, Piyush, by making him talk to his sister. Photos and videos were sent on WhatsApp, and marriage promises were made.
Piyush later became Mohammad Ali. He was circumcised, his name was changed, and he was married to Ayesha. After this, Mohammad Ali became part of the gang. He narrated his story of converting from Hindu to Muslim and convinced others to do the same.
Police suspects a Network spread across India
SP South Anshika Verma said Majid’s network was not limited to Bareilly but spread across the country. Investigations revealed that Majid travelled to 27 districts and collected donations. Police recovered âš13 lakh from his bank accounts. A total of 21 bank accounts were found with large transactions.
Police suspect that the gang also received foreign funding. Majid and his associates created WhatsApp groups and shared videos and audios of Zakir Naik and Pakistani scholars.
How were people trapped?
The gang mainly targeted weak and poor families. The gang lured divorced or single youths with promises of marriage to Muslim girls. They sent photos and videos of attractive girls on WhatsApp.
Police confirmed that the gang has converted five people so far. They first made one minor addicted to drugs before converting him. They also converted Brajpal Singh of Bareilly, his mother Usha Rani, and his sister Rajkumari. The gang gave them new names and issued certificates.
Probe into foreign funding and donations
Early investigation revealed that Majid and his associates had several bank accounts. Majid’s account alone had over 2,000 transactions in eight months. Salman and his wife also had 12 accounts.
The main accused, Majid, collected donations in states like Gujarat, Karnataka, Puducherry, Uttarakhand, and Delhi-Mumbai. Police recovered 25-30 Islamic books from him, including those by Zakir Naik.
Action so far
Police arrested Abdul Majid along with Salman, Arif, and Faheem. One accused is absconding. The SP said more arrests are likely as the gang is large. Police are also investigating funding sources from different states.
