In the Ghaziabad conversion case, the prime accused involved in the case identified as Baddo alias Shahnawaz Maqsood Khan has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody by Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad court. This came a couple of days after Khan was arrested by the police from the state of Maharashtra.
UP's Ghaziabad court sends accused Shahnawaz Khan to 14-day judicial custody.
— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2023
He has been arrested in an alleged online gaming and religious conversion racket. pic.twitter.com/fcc8M9o9YW
The Commissioner of Police had got transit remand of 72 hours to bring Baddo from Thane to Ghaziabad. According to the reports, the police have prepared a list of more than 50 questions to interrogate Baddo, so that more aspects of this case are exposed.
A case of converting non-Muslim youths to Islam surfaced in Ghaziabad on May 30 this year when a victim filed a complaint at Kavinagar Police Station in which he said his minor son was lured into practising Islam by Islamists online. A team was formed to investigate the matter after filing an FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
#BREAKING
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) June 11, 2023
Big development in the Ghaziabad online gaming conversion case. Thane Police arrests #ShahnawazKhan, main accused in the matter.
"He'll soon be handed over to the Ghaziabad police, which will then take the probe in the matter ahead," @RakeshKTrivedi tells @kritsween. pic.twitter.com/61tagYd3AS
Baddo operated seven different bank accounts for conversion
The Police have revealed that the prime accused involved in the case identified as Baddo alias Shahnawaz Maqsood Khan operated seven different bank accounts to handle the finances being generated from the conversion. The accused opened the bank accounts under different names and used them to transact money for conversion. The police said that all these seven bank accounts will be investigated.
During the investigation, police found that the real identity of the online handle Baddo, with whom the victim was talking regularly, was Shahnawaz Maqsood Khan s/o Maqsood Khan of Shazia Apartment, Devipada Mumbra under Mumbra Police Station area, Thane, Maharashtra. A special team of UP Police was sent to Thane, Maharashtra to arrest the accused. Shahnawaz is the mastermind behind the nexus. He was absconding since the case came to light.
On Monday morning, Mumbra and Ghaziabad police produced Shahnawaz alias Baddo in Thane district court under tight security. The Ghaziabad police presented documents related to the transit remand before the court. The court had given a transit remand of 72 hours to the police. The court had also ordered them to make arrangements for his food and security during this period.
Keeping in view the security, the police decided to bring Baddo to Ghaziabad by flight. Police officials stated that on Monday evening at 4.30 pm, he was to be taken on a flight, but the entire team could not get tickets. As per the reports, Baddo reached Ghaziabad by a night flight. He is being interrogated in detail.
Police have prepared a set of 50 questions to interrogate accused
Police are fully prepared to interrogate Baddo to bring out each and every aspect of this episode of conversion which has become famous across the country. Two senior police officers and other officers involved in the investigation have together prepared a list of more than 50 questions.
The list includes questions related to Baddo’s coming in contact with a 17-year-old Ghaziabad teenager as well as the involvement of others in the gang of conversions from Faridabad and Chandigarh.
The police have also got the details of the transactions executed in the bank accounts under investigation so far, inquiries will also be made regarding these bank accounts. Apart from this, several other questions like how many other people have been converted so far, and whether Baddo’s strings are connected abroad or not will also be asked.
Senior police officers say that before interrogating Shahnawaz alias Baddo, they have not only prepared a list of questions but have also collected electronic evidence related to these questions. The evidence includes chats found on the mobiles of converted teenagers. Apart from this, evidence has also been collected from bank account details and mobile apps.
Converted teenagers were asked to read verses of the Quran to win the game
Apart from the Commissionerate Police, ATS and IB officials will also interrogate Shahnawaz. Teams of both security agencies will reach Ghaziabad on Tuesday. However, the first interrogation will be conducted by the officers of Ghaziabad Police, and after that Baddo will face questions from ATS and IB.
Along with Baddo, another accused identified as Maulvi Abdul Rehman alias Nanni s/o Mehmood Ansari or Sanjaynagar in the Madhuban Bapudham Police Station area of Ghaziabad was also apprehended by the police in the case.
Police so far have found that four teenagers who were converted through the app were asked to read verses of the Quran to win the game. The police also are said to have arrested a person who arranged a SIM for Khan from Mumbai. Two other persons were also taken into custody by the police investigating the case.
