Agra conversion racket: Girls lured via social media, linked to Pakistan, say police
'We have interrogated 14 arrested individuals and spoken to the rescued girls. It was found that they were in contact with people in Pakistan, who spoke to them about Islam, and with some girls in Kashmir who reportedly influenced them to adopt the religion,' Agra police commissioner Deepak Kumar said.
According to officials, Pakistani individuals identified as Tanveer Ahmed and Sahil Adeem were frequently in touch with the girls through social media platforms. 'The network targeted youth, particularly those involved in online gaming, and used encrypted platforms and foreign contacts to push conversion,' a senior police officer said.
The racket, according to the police, was operated by two converts, Abdul Rehman alias Rehman Chacha, earlier known as Mahendra Pal, and Ayesha, formerly SB Krishna, who are now in custody. 12 other accused arrested so far have allegedly confirmed their association with them.
One accused, Rehman Qureshi, allegedly raised funds through crowdfunding and maintained transactions in cryptocurrency and foreign currency with individuals based in the Gaza Strip, according to the police.
Officials further revealed that at least three members of the group were proficient with the dark web and communicated through encrypted apps and coded signals to avoid detection.
According to police officials, girls allegedly targeted by the network were rescued from Dehradun, Bareilly, Aligarh, Jhajjar, and Rohtak. Police said the victims are being interviewed to gather further details.
Last week, Agra police rescued a woman from Haryana and another from Uttarakhand. The latter, aged 21, gave her statement before a magistrate in Agra under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). She is now considered the main witness in the case.
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