UP Police Bust Major Illegal Conversion Racket, 10 Arrested

• UP Police busted a large-scale illegal religious conversion racket, arresting 10 people from six states.
• The probe began in Agra after two sisters were allegedly coerced into conversion and radicalization.
• Police suspect a ‘love jihad’ gang with funding from America and Canada.

GG News Bureau
Lucknow, 19th July: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday announced they have busted a large-scale illegal religious conversion racket, leading to the arrest of 10 individuals across six states.

The extensive probe began in Agra in March following a report of two sisters, aged 33 and 18, going missing. Investigations subsequently revealed that the sisters were allegedly coerced into religious conversion and were undergoing radicalization, according to police officials. One of the sisters had also reportedly used a picture of a girl holding an AK-47 rifle as her profile picture on a social media platform.

“Preliminary investigations found that the sisters were targeted by a gang involved in ‘love jihad’ and radicalization,” stated Agra Commissioner of Police Deepak Kumar. He added, “We also found clues about their funding originating from America and Canada.”

Multi-State Arrests and ISIS Links
The Agra police have made 10 arrests in connection with the case. Of these, three were apprehended from Rajasthan, two each from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, and one each from Goa, Uttarakhand, and Delhi.

Commissioner Kumar further elaborated on the gravity of the operation, stating, “The modus operandi of the gang involved illegal conversion and radicalization bears a signature of ISIS.”

Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna confirmed that the arrested individuals played diverse roles within this intricate network. Their activities included receiving illicit funds, providing safe houses for covert operations, offering legal advice, and providing other forms of assistance to facilitate the conversions and radicalization. Given the serious nature of these incidents, specialized units of the UP Police, including the Special Task Force (STF) and the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), have been enlisted to assist with the ongoing investigation.

This major action is part of ‘Mission Asmita’, an ongoing initiative specifically aimed at dismantling such illicit syndicates. DGP Krishna reiterated that Mission Asmita targets criminals involved in serious offenses like ‘love jihad’, illegal conversions, radicalization, and deliberate attempts to undermine national security by funneling international jihadist funding through clandestine networks, including the dark web.