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 told PTI. 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 Baddo 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.
How Did the Scam Take Place?
A report by Aaj Tak claims that entire process of convincing children to convert to Islam was carried out in three stages. Initially, the children were engaged in online games. In the first stage, individuals with Hindu names would create IDs and encourage the children to play “Fortnite.” The pivotal moment occurred when the child lost the game, at which point they were informed that reciting verses from the Quran would ensure victory.
If the child recited the verse and played the game, a plot was set up to ensure their victory. This scheme aimed to enhance the child’s inclination towards the faith.
Following this, the second stage commenced, involving chatting with the child through the “Discord” app. The child’s trust was gradually earned, and they were provided with information about Islam. Over time, videos featuring Zakir Naik and Tariq Jameel were shown to the child, enticing them to embrace Islam.
As the child’s inclination towards Islam grew and they expressed willingness to convert, the final step involved obtaining an affidavit from them. This affidavit would declare that the child was voluntarily accepting Islam of their own accord, the report says.
What Was Shahnawaz’s Role In This?
Shahnawaz played a significant role as the alleged mastermind behind the entire operation, the Aaj Tak report says. He would befriend children through online games and then engage in conversations with them, persuading them about the benefits of Islam and attempting to convert them.
According to the interrogation, Shahnawaz disclosed that in 2021, he came into contact with the victim child from Ghaziabad through the game Fortnite. This is where they became acquainted. They subsequently started communicating through the Discord messaging app, discontinuing their Fortnite gameplay.
During the interrogation, Shahnawaz revealed that in December 2021, they resumed playing a game called Volarent. It was during this gameplay that they reached the target of the ICE BOX, which became the turning point for the conversion incident. The specific details of what the cleric told Shahnawaz in this regard are not mentioned.
In this case, the police arrested Maulvi Abdul Rehman, who serves at a mosque in Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad, four days ago. According to reports, during police questioning, the Maulvi acknowledged his involvement in radicalizing minor boys. He confessed to providing information about Islam to non-Muslim boys and influencing them.
Abdul stated that approximately a year ago, he became acquainted with two boys from the local area. These boys were inspired by his teachings and began attending prayers at the mosque.
PTI contributed to this report
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