Sharad Kumar Jain belongs to a middle-class family and works hard to make sure his children get everything they want in life. He lives in Ghaziabad City of Uttar Pradesh. For the past few months, his youngest son, Sanskar (name changed) was behaving strangely. As a common practice in Jainism, he asked Sanskar to go to the temple but he would simply ignore it, many such changes were observed in his behaviour.
Sanskar, a minor would go out five times a day, telling his mother that he was going to the gym. Considering the behavioural change, one day Sharad followed him. He was shocked to find that his son was going to a Mosque when confronted Sanskar accepted that he has started offering Namaz.
When asked for the reasons Sanskar said, he has started believing in Islam and that he finds it more reasonable and trustworthy. Everything happens for a reason in Islam.
Angered Sharad when scolded Sanskar, he said, if they will kick him out of the house he will move to the Mosque and that he has already spoken with the Maulana (cleric).
Sharad searched Sanskar’s mobile phone and laptop to find several shocking texts. It had a copy of Quran, Hadits and some controversial texts which might have been used for terror activities.
Sanskar was uncontrollable, finding his family’s disapproval he became even more furious and it was then Sharad decided to take the help of the police.
A First Information Report (number–434/2023) was registered at the Kavi Nagar police station of the Ghaziabad district on May 30.
In the FIR Sharad told the police that he lives in the Raj Nagar area of the city and all of a sudden his son started following Islamic rituals. So, one day he tracked his son to a Mosque located in the Sanjay Nagar Sector 23. When confronted his son said, he has accepted Islam by heart. He also confronted the cleric at the Mosque but found unsatisfactory answers.
Sharad checked the laptop and mobile phone of Sanskar to land into the pool of Islamic texts including copies of the Quran, translations of Ayats and Hadits and some controversial books as well. During rows of debates with Sanskar and checking his mobile phone, Sharad found that via a gaming application, his son came in contact with a man Baddo who lives in Mumbai. Baddo also sent some computer parts to Sanskar, almost two years ago, a bill for the same is available in the name of Shahnawaz Khan Maqsood. Since then, they have been constantly talking to each other, their call log shows, they have talked for as long as two hours in a sitting.
Also, Sanskar was talking to multiple people for hours who have been identified as Faheem, Nanni, Shahbaz, Sakham and others. These people have lured Sanskar in their vicious trap for conversion. The texts recovered from the laptop show, they are working as a syndicate and need thorough investigation.
Following this complaint, the Ghaziabad police booked Baddo and the cleric of the Mosque, Imam Abdul Rehman alias Nanni under sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act.
Talking with Organiser on June 5, Sharad said, he has shared all the details related to the case with the police and that he and his family are already dealing with too much. He did say, his son is doing well and he wants justice in the case. He believes in the law and the Uttar Pradesh police, before hanging up the call.
On June 4, the police arrested Imam Abdul Rehman from Ghaziabad and issued the following press note, which did shocking revelations about the matter.
Following the complaint by Sharad Jain, the police investigated and interrogated Sharad and the parents of three Hindu boys linked with the case. In the primary investigation, three primary things came to light:
First, some Muslim boys, using fake names made IDs on the gaming application FORTNITE where fellow Hindus lost games and these Muslim men via chatting asked them to recite certain Ayats from Quran in order to clear the stage.
Second, after gaining the trust of these innocent children, the same Muslim men faked their names in the second stage of the game, plated in Discord Application and via chatting lured Hindu boys towards Islam by asking them to follow Islamic practices, repeatedly.
Third, after clearing the second stage, these Muslim boys shared banned video clips of Radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and ultimately brainwashed the Hindu boys. Then they would ask them to convert and start offering Namaz.
In this game, Sanskar met Baddo whose actual name is Khan Shehnawaz Maqsood, a resident of Devripada Mumbara, Thane, Maharashtra. The police teams are looking for him.
Apart from him, the cleric, Nanni alias Abdul Rehman, a resident of Sanjay Nagar has been arrested for manipulating two Hindus and a Jain boy for conversion.
During the police interrogation, Nanni accepted that he was earlier a part of the Masjid committee but two months back he was removed from the committee. He wanted to work for his religion and propagate Islam. Almost one year ago he met two Hindu boys who were directed towards Islam under the influence of some online games. He knew the boys belong to other communities and hence he left no stone unturned in manipulating them and providing teachings of Islam, he wanted them to come to Islam, this was his sole motive.
The police also checked his phone and found a number of controversial details on it. Further investigation into the case is underway.
As per the police statement, DCP Nagar Zone Nipun Agarwal said so far four boys (one Jain and three Hindus) have been identified as victims. Two of them (one Jain and one Hindu) are from Ghaziabad, one (Hindu) from Faridabad and one (Hindu) from Chandigarh.
When Organiser searched about the game, Fortnite in the play store, the description says it’s a strategy battle game and the tagline is ‘conquer kingdoms to build an empire!’.
Last Month Organiser went on the ground to bring the story of a Jain boy Sourabh who became Saleem Jain under the influence of one of his colleagues and Zakir Naik. He also converted his wife Mansi Agarwal to Rahila Saleem. Mohammad Saleem has been booked by the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad in relation to mass conversion and terror links. Saleem also operated a terror group called Hijb-ut-Tahrir whose aim was to bring Sharia law in India.
In May 2023, Organiser reported a case from Madhya Pradesh’s Kandwa district where a Hindu man Akshay Gaur who had converted to Islam to become Faheem Khan faced death threats since he reverted to the Sanatan fold. Akshay was lured to Islam by a cleric by terrorising him with the idea of Jahannum and hellfire. Akshay ultimately tried committing suicide fearing threats of Islamists as he had returned to his Dharma.
In March 2023, Organiser reported this case from Kaushambi Uttar Pradesh where a Dalit man was lured to conversion by his Muslim roommate after he moved to Mumbai for work. The family found the truth after they tracked Uday to the Mosque and found him offering Namaz.
