ED gets five-day custodial remand of Chhangur Baba | Lucknow News
LUCKNOW: A special CBI/ED court in Lucknow on Monday granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) five-day custodial remand of Jamaluddin alias Chhangur Baba, the alleged mastermind of mass illegal religious conversions and the key accused in a high-profile money laundering case.The remand was granted after investigating officer Yogesh cited the need to interrogate the accused in custody for further evidence collection.UP ATS had registered two FIRs under BNS sections 121A (waging war against the state), 153A (promoting enmity between groups), 417, and one under IPC section 420 against Chhangur Baba at Gomtinagar police station on Nov 16 last year and in July 2025.The case involves an alleged criminal conspiracy by Chhangur Baba, Neetu alias Nasreen, and Pune-based businessman Navin Rohra, among others, to promote large-scale unlawful conversions using foreign funds and targeting socio-economically backward individuals from Scheduled Castes and the Hindu community.The ED alleged that Chhangur Baba ran an organised conversion syndicate from the Chand Auliya Dargah in Balrampur.He reportedly used religious lectures, a book titled Shijra-e-Tayyaba, and psychological manipulation to influence individuals to convert.The agency claimed that he amassed wealth worth Rs 100 crore through illegal means, including the purchase of land worth Rs 15 crore in Pune and other properties, many of which were unauthorised.Searches conducted under Section 17 of PMLA at 15 locations revealed that Chhangur Baba, along with his co-accused, acquired substantial immovable assets using crime proceeds during 2020–21.The statements from those accused confirmed these transactions.While Chhangur Baba’s counsel Azizullah Khan appeared before the court and received the application copies, the court underlined that as per the Supreme Court and Allahabad high court precedents, custodial interrogation serves a critical role in unearthing concealed information.Accepting the ED’s submission, special judge Rahul Prakash laid down strict conditions for the remand, which included no coercion or torture shall be inflicted on the accused during the ED custody..
