Raigad (Maharashtra): Shahnawaz Khan alias Baddo, the prime accused wanted by UP police for allegedly operating a racket involved in the religious conversion of youngsters through an online gaming application, has been arrested from Raigad district of Maharashtra, an official said on Sunday. He was arrested from Alibaug town.
Ghaziabad Police were searching for Khan, who hails from Mumbra township in Thane district of Maharashtra, the official said. Khan is being taken to Mumbra for questioning, he said while refusing to elaborate. As per the case details, Khan and the cleric of a mosque in Ghaziabad were booked under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act based on a complaint.
A man from Ghaziabad had lodged a complaint with the police last month alleging that the cleric and Khan had unlawfully converted his son, who recently passed the class 12 board exam, to Islam, police had said. The complainant alleged that his son came in contact with Baddo through an online gaming app and frequently spoke to him, following which he got inclined towards adopting Islam, the police said.
The boy told his father that he had converted to Islam after being convinced by Baddo, according to police. Khan, according to police, had been absconding for the last few days and finally landed in their net after changing his locations multiple times. Khan is a resident of Devripada in Maharashtra's Thane district. He is said to be involved in a shampoo production business.
An FIR was lodged against Khan on May 30 at the Kavi Nagar police station in Ghaziabad. It was mentioned in the complaint that he had sold computer gadgets a year ago to a boy belonging to the Jain community in Ghaziabad. Gradually, the two began having frequent and regular conversations. Meanwhile, Khan made the minor boy recite verses from the Holy Quran and "brainwashed" him.
The boy soon began praying five times at a mosque in Ghaziabad. During the investigation into the case, the police checked the mobile phone and laptop where Khan's name cropped up. Though he only studied till Class 12, Khan has been a pro when it comes to using modern apps, a source said, adding that he has changed his SIM card several times in a span of five days.
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