Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has uncovered explosive details in a nationwide religious conversion racket allegedly orchestrated by self-styled godman Chhangur Baba. Investigators probing the network revealed that internal communications among operatives were masked using code words such as ‘project’, ‘mitti palatne’ (turning soil), and ‘kajal’. Handwritten ledgers found during the raids reportedly list the names of over 1,500 individuals who were converted through this sprawling operation.
According to FPJ ED sources, intelligence inputs suggest that Chhangur’s activities may have extended beyond religious manipulation. He is suspected of links with ISI-backed agents, with officials claiming that several Hindu women were allegedly converted under his influence and intended to be married off to individuals connected to foreign intelligence operatives.
Mumbai-based businessman Naveen Rohra and his wife Neetu alias Nasreen have emerged as central figures in the financial arm of the operation. ED officials allege that the couple extended substantial loans to poor Hindus, which were later waived in return for religious conversion. This financial manipulation was reportedly used to acquire benami assets worth more than ₹300 crore.
In a public affidavit filed in 2021 in a Utraula court, Naveen declared his conversion and loyalty to Chhangur. Since then, his frequent foreign trips have caught the attention of the ED, which is now probing possible links to hawala transactions, Middle East funding, and NGO-based laundering. While Naveen and Chhangur’s son Mehboob were arrested in April this year, Chhangur and Neetu were finally nabbed in June 2025 from a Lucknow hotel after a long manhunt.
The ED claims that the racket was supported by a foreign funding pipeline worth ₹60 crore, routed from countries like the UAE, Oman, and Qatar through hawala and shell NGOs. These funds allegedly surged around the time of religious events or when purchasing properties. Investigators said 22 bank accounts were linked to the syndicate, and the money was often disguised as “religious donations” or “dargah funding”.
One of the suspicious transactions under probe is a ₹16 crore property in Lonavala, believed to be registered in the name of the Rohra couple. A team led by a deputy SP is currently in Maharashtra examining real estate purchases valued at over ₹100 crore across Pune, Mumbai, and Nagpur. A Nagpur-based NGO and one of Chhangur’s alleged aides, Idul Islam, are also under scrutiny for aiding the deals.
The scale of Chhangur’s operations was evident in Balrampur, Utraula, where he had constructed a multi-storey building housing an unauthorised madrasa, hospital, and religious school. The structure was demolished by local authorities on July 6 as part of the crackdown.
