The Bareilly religious conversion racket has turned out to be far bigger and more organized than what officials initially believed. Investigations have revealed that the gang, run by Maulana Abdul Majeed, had networks spread across 13 states of India and was backed by over 200 maulanas. Police say the group targeted vulnerable people and pressured them into embracing Islam using both temptations and threats.

On Wednesday, 27th August, police teams raided the residence of another key accused, Mahboob Beg, who lived in Rahpura, Izzatnagar. However, he managed to escape. According to media reports, Beg was the second most important member after Majeed, serving as a middleman and maintaining contact between the leader and the rest of the gang. Police are questioning his friends and relatives, while also monitoring suspicious financial transactions that may expose the network further.

Trail of Suspicious Funds Points to Foreign Links

A financial trail has added a new dimension to the case. Officials suspect that the racket was backed by foreign funding. Abdul Majeed and his wife held five bank accounts, where deposits of more than ₹13.20 lakh were recorded, an amount far higher than their income could justify.

Another arrested accused, Salman, who worked as a tailor, shockingly maintained 12 accounts, six of which were in his wife’s name. Police found transactions of nearly ₹12 lakh, which could not be explained by his profession. Similarly, Arif and Faheem were also operating two accounts each, and these are now under scrutiny.

SP (South) Anshika Verma confirmed that investigators are carefully analyzing both money trails and call records. She stated, “We are also studying these call records and their bank accounts. The hawala aspect is being looked into, and more arrests are imminent.”

According to police, Abdul Majeed regularly made phone calls to landline numbers in Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, strengthening suspicions of a much larger inter-state network.

Radical Literature and Foreign Influence Under Probe

Another worrying discovery is the presence of religious literature, CDs of Pakistani clerics, and speeches of fugitive preacher Zakir Naik among the gang’s belongings. Officials believe that the group may have been working with a wider ideological network that provided this radical material.

On social media platforms, the accused had created WhatsApp and other groups where they frequently circulated lectures of Zakir Naik and content from Islamic fundamentalists. They also shared photos and videos of young Hindu girls, further raising alarm.

Police have seized all mobile phones and digital devices of the accused. Forensic teams are now examining the data to identify more people who were influenced or directly associated with the gang.

Using Marriage as a Tool for Conversion

Investigators also found that Abdul Majeed was willing to exploit his own family for the racket. Years ago, he arranged the marriage of his sister Ayesha to a Hindu man named Piyush from Agra. After the marriage, Piyush was converted to Islam and given the name Mohammad Ali. Later, even Piyush’s family members were drawn into the racket and made to participate in its activities.

Possible Links to the Drug Trade

The police have not ruled out the possibility that the conversion racket had ties with drug trafficking networks. Some known drug smugglers, who had been imprisoned earlier, were found to be in contact with Abdul Majeed. Investigators suspect that proceeds from narcotics trade may have been used to fund the gang’s activities.

Hindu Families in Subhashnagar Forced Into Islam

The scale of the racket became more evident when police discovered that multiple Hindu families from Subhashnagar in Bareilly had been converted. Earlier reports had confirmed that Brijpal Sahu, his mother Usha Devi, and sister Rajkumari were forced into Islam and renamed as Abdullah, Amina, and Ayesha.

Now, fresh revelations show that another Hindu family in the same locality was also trapped. Majeed allegedly kept four members of this family at his madarsa in Faiznagar for several days before converting them. That family is currently living in Subhashnagar, but police are still trying to trace their movements.

Tracking Abdul Majeed’s Movements

Given the growing size of the network, intelligence agencies have joined the probe. They are closely mapping Abdul Majeed’s travel history, which reveals that he had visited more than 13 states to build local connections. While no record of foreign travel has been found yet, agencies are not dismissing the possibility of international links.

How Police Busted the Racket

The case first came to light on Monday, 25th August, when police arrested four accused – Abdul Majeed (35), Salman Raza (30), Mohammad Arif (29), and Mohammad Faheem (24). A case was registered under Sections 140(3)/351(3) of the BNS and Section 3/5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.

The arrests were triggered by a complaint from Akhilesh Kumari, a resident of Aligarh, who alleged that her visually impaired son, Prabhat Upadhyay, was being forced to convert to Islam under the pretext of marriage.

When police raided the Faiznagar madarsa, they found the four accused preparing to circumcise the boy as part of the conversion ritual. Initially, he introduced himself as “Hamid”, but later admitted that his real name was Prabhat. The boy was rescued and reunited with his family.

During the raid, police seized conversion certificates, sharp blades, Zakir Naik CDs, religious books, laptops, and mobile phones.

Targeting the Vulnerable

According to investigators, the gang carefully chose its victims. They targeted the poor, unmarried youth, and people with disabilities. These individuals were promised marriage, jobs, and money. Salman, the tailor, acted as a recruiter, often visiting Hindu households under the guise of helping them or introducing them to Muslim girls. Faheem, a barber, identified vulnerable targets among his customers. Once victims were trapped, they were taken to the madarsa where they were subjected to brainwashing through religious texts and propaganda.

This is not an isolated case. Authorities confirmed that this is the sixth Islamic conversion racket busted in Uttar Pradesh this year. Earlier, similar rackets were uncovered in Balrampur, Agra, Prayagraj, Kushinagar, and Aligarh.