ATS nabs kingpin’s son for arranging funds via illegal network

THE ATS HAD UNEARTHED THE MASS CONVERSION RACKET AFTER THE ARREST OF MAULANA UMAR GAUTAM FROM LUCKNOW ON JUNE 21 EARLIER THIS YEAR

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Saturday arrested the son of Maulana Umar Gautam, the alleged kingpin of mass religious conversion racket, for illegally arranging funds for it from different parts of the country and abroad, said UP police additional director general (ADG), law and order, Prashant Kumar here on Sunday.

The ATS had unearthed the mass conversion racket which was active in different parts of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi as well as other parts of the country after the arrest of Maulana Umar Gautam and his close aide Jahangir Alam from Lucknow on June 21 earlier this year.

The ADG said Maulana Umar Gautam’s son Abdullah was arrested after the ATS found his involvement in arranging funds for the conversion racket operated by his father and other people. He said Abdullah was arrested from his hideout in Gautam Buddh Nagar district. The ATS brought him to Lucknow and presented him before the ATS court here for initiating further legal proceedings against him. Kumar said the investigation revealed that as many as ₹75 lakh had been transferred in different bank accounts of Abdullah from different sources and of the total amount around ₹17 lakh was transferred from unknown sources from abroad. He said the same illegally arranged money was distributed to different people for mass religious conversions.

The ADG said the ATS will further apply for the custody remand of Abdullah to interrogate him further about his links and sources through which he had arranged funds in the past.

Another senior ATS official said the investigation had so far revealed that over ₹ 57 crore was arranged by Maulana Umar Gautam, his son and their other aides through illegal money transfer network. He said the large amount of which was arranged from unknown sources in the UK, the USA and Gulf countries. Of the total amount, around ₹22 crore was arranged through the Trust run by another key accused of the case Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui who was arrested on September 21 this year. He said Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui is a well-known Islamic scholar from Meerut.

The official said the ATS had so far arrested 16 people in connection with the mass conversion racket. Those arrested were booked under relevant sections of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2020 and multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code.