Shahnawaz Maqsud Khan, the prime accused in an alleged online gaming and religious conversion racket, has been apprehended by the Mumbra police from Alibaug. Khan, also known as Baddo, is a 23-year-old resident of Mumbra and was wanted by the Ghaziabad police in Uttar Pradesh.
The Ghaziabad police sought assistance from the Mumbra police station after Khan's involvement in the gaming and religious conversion racket came to light. Prior to his arrest, a joint operation conducted by the Ghaziabad police and Mumbra police had been carried out for two days, but Khan managed to escape along with his brother and mother. On Saturday, the Mumbra police interrogated Khan's mother at the Mumbra police station as part of their investigation.
Police teams swoop down on accused
Nivrutti Kolhatkar, the senior police inspector at Mumbra police station, provided details of the operation, stating, "The Mumbra police team, under the guidance of senior police officials, conducted a thorough technical analysis of the mobile phones belonging to the wanted accused Khan and his relatives. This analysis led us to a clue that Khan was within the jurisdiction of the Worli police station.
Our team collaborated with the Worli police and initiated a search for Khan. During the investigation, we discovered that he had fled to a lodge in Alibaug and was staying in one of the cottages. With the assistance of the local police, our team successfully apprehended Shahnawaz Khan on Sunday morning."
The 'online' conversion game racket
Kolhatkar elaborated on the details, stating, "The accused Khan and the victim boy initially connected through the gaming application Fort Nite in early 2021. They began communicating through the Discord feature within the game, and their interaction evolved into a friendship. Eventually, they exchanged phone numbers to continue their conversations outside of the game. However, the victim stopped playing Fort Nite after a few days and started playing the game Valorant towards the end of December 2021. It was during their gameplay sessions in Valorant, specifically when they reached the target location Ice-Box, that they first discussed religious conversion and referenced Zakir Naik's speech."
"The accused would play games on a computer at his residence and owns a OnePlus mobile, an iPad, and a computer. Khan has an Instagram account linked to his WhatsApp number and uses his name on the platform. As part of our investigation, we will be handing him over to the Ghaziabad police team, who will continue the further investigation into the case."
