Lucknow: Making a sensational disclosure, the Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat ATS have money amounting to Rs 27.30 crore was sent from abroad to fund anti-national activities and illegal conversions.
Though the money was collected in the name of charity for helping the poor, helpless and vulnerable, Rs 59.94 lakh was actually spent in lobbying to free rioters involved in the violence in Delhi against the Citizenship Amendment Act. This amount was received by the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI), an organisation of Salahuddin alias Zainuddin Sheikh, who was arrested in Vadodara, Gujarat.
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UP ATS received inputs of foreign funding for illegal conversions at the behest of Pakistani intelligence agency ISI. Investigations revealed that most of the funding to AFMI, operating since 2017, was being done from Dubai. This organisation got Rs 27.30 crore in five years from various countries across the world. Of this, Rs 19.30 crore came into the account of the organisation and Rs 8 crore was sent via the hawala route. Salahuddin had given Rs 5.91 crore as charity for illegally building mosques and converting non-Muslims over these five years to the Islamic Dawa Centre (IDC), the organisation of Umar Gautam, operating from Noida. Umar Gautam used the money to run illegal conversion gangs, mobilise crowds at Shaheen Bagh and help the rioters.
According to ATS IG GK Goswami, the leaders of the gangs involved in illegal conversion and the organisations of Umar Gautam and Salahuddin had actively incited violence across the country in protest against the recent Citizenship Amendment Act. From the foreign funds received by Salahuddin's organisation, Rs 59.94 was spent on lawyers' fees and to meet other expenses for freeing the rioters. Apart from spending this money to mobilise crowds in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, they had borne the entire expense for freeing those arrested for arson and sabotage during the period.
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According to the IG, the amount spent in anti-national activities was shown as being spent for charity. A fake bill was made to buy household items amounting to Rs 19.30 crore which was spent from the account of AFMI. For this, traders were also given commissions. All these transactions were done by check and cash was taken after making the payment. Now, the ATS is planning to interrogate the traders who made these fake bills. So far, information about fake bills worth Rs 1.65 crore has been received.
The IG said that the first case against illegal conversion and foreign funding for anti-national activities was registered in Gujarat two days ago. It was registered against Umar Gautam, a resident of Delhi, and Salahuddin alias Zainuddin Sheikh of Vadodara, the kingpin of illegal conversion gangs, at Gujarat ATS police station. Umar Gautam used to provide the funds for such activities. In a span of five years, Gautam visited Vadodara five times to meet Salahuddin.
Both the accused are now in Lucknow jail. A team of Gujarat ATS has reached Lucknow for their remand. More evidence will be collected by taking both of them to Vadodara. UP ATS has so far arrested 10 accused by registering a case in June. A charge sheet has also been filed against six of them in the court.
