2 sons of key accused among 3 more held: Agra police in illegal religious conversion racket case
The total number of people taken into custody in connection with the case has now risen to 14.
The racket was uncovered during an investigation into the abduction of two women from Agra.
The prime accused, Abdul Rehman — believed to be a close associate of Kaleem Siddiqui, who is currently serving a life sentence in a case related to illegal religious conversions — was arrested two days ago from his residence in Delhi, where police also claimed to have rescued a girl reported missing from Haryana.
On Wednesday, the Agra police arrested Abdul Rehman's two sons — 20-year-old Abdullah and 27-year-old Abdul Raheem — along with their associate, 30-year-old Junaid Qureshi.
Commissioner, Agra, Deepak Kumar said the names of three persons came to light during investigation into the case.
Police claimed to have recovered objectionable Islamic literature and mobile phones from the possession of the accused. The recovered phones reportedly contain suspicious data, which is being examined, said police, adding that the three accused are well-versed in computers and technology.
The Agra police said the woman, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste and was traced two days ago from Abdul Rehman's residence, alleged in both her police and court statement that she was detained by Abdul Rehman, who tried to persuade her to convert. She also claimed that a person married her without revealing his true identity, and a Qazi was brought from Rajasthan to solemnise the marriage, said Commissioner.
A police team is being dispatched to Rajasthan to trace and question the Qazi involved.
According to officers, the three arrested accused lured young women into the network and brought them to Delhi, where Abdul Rehman allegedly facilitated their religious conversion. Police added that the group also arranged for fake documents linked to the victims to be prepared.
The police said Abdullah said in his statement that it was he and the rest of the group who were running the racket after the arrest and conviction of Kaleem Siddiqui.
Earlier, on Saturday, Agra Police arrested 10 people from six states, claiming to have uncovered a nationwide network involved in illegal religious conversions.
The case emerged during a probe into the alleged abduction of two women from Agra in March. Police said the accused targeted young girls, especially minors, using deceptive methods, including love jihad, to convert them. The two women were traced from Kolkata in West Bengal.
Police said the group used foreign funding for conversions and spreading radical beliefs, 'in a manner similar to how ISIS operates'. A police officer added that the initial investigation suggests the group may have links to organisations such as PFI, SDPI and some extremist groups in Pakistan.
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