'Mitti Palatne' & 'Kajal': ED Uncovers Codewords In ISI-Linked Religious Conversion Racket Led By Chhangur Baba

Officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), investigating a nationwide religious conversion racket allegedly run by self-styled spiritual leader Chhangur Baba, unearthed code words such as ‘project’, ‘mitti palatne’ (turning soil), and ‘kajal’ for internal communication. They also recovered ledgers that allegedly list the names of over 1,500 converted persons.

The most significant revelation came from intelligence inputs suggesting that Chhangur had alleged links with ISI-backed operatives. Reports indicate he was coordinating conversions of Hindu women with the alleged intention of later marrying them off to ISI agents. Investigators also claim the network utilised fake identities, proxy transactions and shell entities to acquire benami properties valued at over Rs300 crore.

About The Case

Mumbai-based businessman Naveen Rohra, who along with his wife Neetu alias Nasreen allegedly converted under the influence of Chhangur, functioned as the financial backbone of the operation. He extended large sums of money to impoverished Hindus under the guise of help, and upon their inability to repay, offered “debt relief” in exchange for conversion. These funds allegedly sustained the conversion network and were used to acquire high-value benami properties.

In 2021, Naveen filed an affidavit in the Utraula civil court, publicly declaring his conversion and allegiance to Chhangur. His frequent foreign trips have raised red flags, with agencies suspecting links to hawala operations, foreign NGO funding, or ideological networking. The ED is now closely tracking these movements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Naveen was arrested in April this year, along with Chhangur’s son Mehboob. Neetu and Chhangur were arrested in June 2025 from a hotel in Lucknow following a state-wide manhunt.

The ED has uncovered a vast financial network that allegedly funnelled over Rs60 crore into the group’s accounts from abroad, particularly from Middle Eastern countries such as the UAE, Oman and Qatar. These funds were allegedly routed through hawala channels, shell NGOs and Nepalbased bank accounts. Officials said 22 bank accounts were used by Chhangur for his conversion racket, and foreign inflow spiked just before mass gatherings or property purchases.

The money was often labeled as ‘religious donations’ or ‘dargah funding’. Multiple fake trusts and NGOs with no on-ground activity were allegedly used to launder funds and acquire assets. A key transaction under scrutiny is the Rs16 crore purchase of a Lonavala property registered in the name of the Rohra couple. According to ATS sources, a team led by a deputy superintendent of police is in Maharashtra to investigate properties worth over Rs100 crore allegedly linked to Chhangur.

These include high-value real estate in Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur, and a Nagpur-based NGO and an operative named Idul Islam, a close aide of Chhangur, are under investigation for facilitating these property deals. Chhangur had amassed several properties, including a lavish multi-storey complex in Utraula, Balrampur, which housed an unlicensed madrasa, hospital and religious school. The illegal structure was demolished by local authorities on July 6.