LUCKNOW: Three Nagpur residents, suspected to be part of the Maharashtra syndicate of the pan-India illegal religious conversion network were arrested by the anti-terrorist squad (ATS) of UP Police on Saturday. Interrogation of the trio, who are being brought to UP via road, could unravel the larger conspiracy and help smash the nationwide chain, said police.
The Nagpur trio of Rameshwar Kawre alias Adam, 30, Kaushar Alam, 50, and Bhuriya Bando alias Arslan Mustafa were in regular touch with the kingpin, Umar Gautam, who was arrested last month from Jamia Nagar, Delhi, for luring poor individuals, tribals and children with speech and hearing disabilities with money and converting them to Islam. While Kamre alias Adam, who ran a computer solutions business, was the critical interface with the Gulf handlers through his Egyptian wife, Maihasan Ali, his other aide Arslan, a hizama (cupping) therapist mobilised funds for the network in west India. Their third accomplice, Kaushar Alam, is a seed businessman and helped spread the network in Karnataka and Maharashtra, said IG, ATS, Gajendra Kumar Goswamy.
ADG, law and order, Prashant Kumar, said, “Besides the Nagpur trio, other accomplices from Maharashtra under the radar include Vijay Vargiya and Faraz. Hawala money was used in the name of charity and ploughed into illegal conversions by the mastermind, Umar Gautam.” In 2018, Adam, Arslan and Kaushar met Umar in Delhi and hammered out a strategy to spread the network in Maharashtra.
On June 21, Umar Gautam and his aide, Mufti Kazi Jahangir Qasmi of Islamic Dawah Centre, Delhi, were arrested by UP ATS. His other accomplices, Irfan Sheikh, an interpreter with Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre, Delhi, Munna Yadav and Rahul Bhola were nabbed a week later, followed by the big catch of Gujarat businessman Salahuddin Jainuddin.
