Crackdown on Chhangur Baba: UP ATS Unravels Codewords, Foreign Funding & Rs 500 Cr Conversion Nexus
Crackdown on Chhangur Baba: UP ATS Unravels Codewords, Foreign Funding & Rs 500 Cr Conversion Nexus
‘Project’, ‘Kajal Karna’, ‘Deedar’, Coded language used to lure and convert girls exposed in multi-agency probe into Chhangur Baba’s syndicate
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has uncovered chilling details in its investigation into self-styled godman Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba, who allegedly ran one of India’s largest illegal religious conversion syndicates. Now in ATS custody till July 16, Baba is accused of manipulating vulnerable young women through psychological coercion and foreign-funded operations.
The most recent revelations expose the codewords Chhangur used to conduct his operations. According to ATS sources, the term “project” referred to targeted girls, while “kajal karna” was used to denote psychological manipulation. The term “mitti palatna” signified religious conversion, and “deedar” referred to meetings arranged between Baba and his targets. These coded instructions, exchanged between Baba and his network, reveal the calculated, organised nature of his alleged racket.
On Friday, Chhangur Baba was escorted by ATS commandos to his massive 70-room villa in Balrampur partially demolished earlier by state authorities. The sealed premises were accessed for a 40-minute on-site interrogation. Officers retrieved key documents linked to forced conversions. Witnesses said Baba broke down on seeing his razed property, once the operational hub of his alleged racket. The property, estimated to be worth Rs 5 crore, was illegally built and registered under his aide Nasreen (alias Neetu), who was arrested with him on July 5 from a hotel in Lucknow.
According to ADG (Law & Order) Amitabh Yash, Baba has been involved in conversion activities for over 15 years, operating under multiple aliases and organisations, all funded through illicit means. Investigators are now digging into his rise from a poor cloth seller in the 1990s to a figure controlling a multicrore syndicate spanning India and Nepal.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also investigating him for money laundering and possession of unexplained wealth exceeding Rs 100 crore. Preliminary findings reveal 40 bank accounts linked to him, holding over Rs 106 crore. Authorities believe he operated out of Chand Auliya Dargah and used over 100 bank accounts across India and Nepal to manage finances.
The financial trail has also led to startling revelations about foreign donations. Agencies suspect that over Rs 500 crore was received over three years Rs 300 crore of it through illegal hawala channels via Nepal, especially Kathmandu and Banke, and another Rs 200 crore via official banking routes. These funds are believed to have originated from countries including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE.
Authorities say Baba’s operations primarily targeted economically disadvantaged Hindu communities, often using promises of financial support or spiritual healing to lure individuals into conversion.
With multiple central and state agencies now collaborating, including the IB, NIA, ED, and ATS, the net around Chhangur Baba’s network is tightening. More arrests are expected as the investigation expands to include land encroachments, hawala transactions, and foreign operative links.
The case has triggered widespread attention across Uttar Pradesh, with security agencies now focused on dismantling what appears to be a deep-rooted and well-funded religious conversion ecosystem, operated under layers of spiritual disguise, political reach, and international financing.
