'I am innocent, I don't know anything': Chhangur Baba on religious conversion allegations

Chhangur Baba was arrested by UP ATS a few days ago

Chhangur Baba, who has been accused of running a large-scale religious conversion racket, has spoken for the first time since the charges and has claimed that he is innocent.

"I am innocent. I don't know anything," he said, as per media reports. Jamaluddin, alias Chhangur Baba, who is a self-styled spiritual leader from Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh, has been accused of orchestrating a large-scale illegal religious conversion racket.

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad had arrested Chhagur Baba along with his associate - Neetu alias Nasreen. The two were involved in a wide network of conversion process that included luring and coercing vulnerable people - most of whom were Hindu women and minors - to convert them into Islam. This was done, often by means of financial inducements and emotional manipulation.

ATS and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have found, during the probe, that more than 500 crore was transferred into about 40 bank accounts that have been linked to Chhangur Baba and his associates in different countries - including Pakistan and the Gulf countries.

It is being suspected that this money was being used to fund the conversion network that had a fixed incentive structure to lure people based on the casete of the individual who was being converted. It reportedly ranged from Rs 8-10 lakh for other castes to Rs 15-16 lakh for Brahmin, Sikh, or Kshatriya women.