Chhangur Baba Under ATS Radar: Rs 500 Crore Foreign Funding Scam Unveiled with Links to Hawala, Conversion Racket, and Illicit Assets

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has uncovered a massive foreign funding and religious conversion racket allegedly operated by controversial self-styled godman Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba. According to ATS officials, over ₹500 crore was funneled into India in the last three years—₹200 crore through official channels and another ₹300 crore via illegal hawala networks routed through Nepal.

Investigators believe the money was used primarily to fuel religious conversion activities across sensitive districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh, including Ayodhya, Balrampur, Bahraich, Shravasti, and Lakhimpur. The ATS claims to have traced the origin of these funds to several Muslim-majority nations, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE.

A key part of the operation allegedly took place through over 100 bank accounts opened in Nepal’s border districts like Kathmandu, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, and Banke. The illicit funds were handled by local Nepali agents, who took a 4–5% commission before channeling them into Indian territory. Much of the money was transferred using Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs) and converted to Indian rupees through informal money changers.

In Ayodhya, authorities suspect the funds were particularly targeted at converting young Hindu women. Multiple NGOs and local operatives are under the scanner, and nearly 40 domestic bank accounts linked to Chhangur and his network are currently being probed.

As the investigation deepens, the ATS has demanded a review of the last 10 years of income tax records for individuals associated with the funding network. Six accounts linked to a businessman named Naveen Rohra reportedly contain ₹34.22 crore, while accounts under the name of a woman identified as Nasreen show ₹13.90 crore. Investigators are also probing possible offshore bank accounts held by Chhangur in Sharjah and Dubai.

In a parallel action, the district administration of Balrampur demolished a ₹5 crore mansion owned by Chhangur. The 40-room luxury bungalow—equipped with a marble gate and constructed on encroached government land—was brought down using 10 bulldozers over three days. Officials labeled it an illegal structure, calling it a symbol of “criminal arrogance built with black money.”