The Uttar Pradesh Police under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s Mission Asmita have unearthed an elaborate and sinister international network allegedly engaged in coercive conversions, radicalisation of Hindu women, and psychological manipulation drawing alarming parallels with ISIS-inspired tactics.
The trigger? Two sisters aged 33 and 18 who vanished from Agra’s Sadar area in March 2025, leaving behind no trace. Four months later, they were rescued from Kolkata — over 1,300 kilometres away in a daring, multi-state, multi-agency operation that has since rocked the nation’s security and intelligence agencies.
What started as a routine missing persons case has now morphed into a national security nightmare involving at least five foreign countries, over a dozen suspects, and a well-oiled conversion machinery operating under religious and ideological cover with deep digital and financial roots.
On May 4, 2025, a missing person complaint was registered in Agra’s Sadar police station regarding the disappearance of two sisters. The initial FIR categorised it as a possible case of kidnapping. But what seemed ordinary turned extraordinary when the police, during initial surveillance, discovered that neither of the women had carried mobile phones, used their real names online, nor left a digital trail — indicating a meticulously planned operation, not a spontaneous disappearance.
आगरा से गायब हुईं दो सगी बहनें 4 महीने बाद 1300 Km दूर कोलकाता से बरामद हुईं। साथ ही, यूपी को हिला देने वाले धर्मांतरण की नई कहानी के पन्ने भी खुल गए।
इसके तार दुनिया के 5 देशों से जुड़े। जोकि भारत में इस्लाम को बढ़ावा देने के लिए फंडिंग कर रहे। आगरा पुलिस ने भारत के 6 राज्यों… pic.twitter.com/aumzthgqJm
— Rajesh Sahu (@askrajeshsahu) July 20, 2025
As police teams began piecing together their social interactions, relatives pointed towards the younger sister’s recent behaviour changes. It was during this phase that Agra’s Cyber Crime Cell stumbled upon a disturbing Instagram profile: a photograph had emerged — the girl was seen holding an AK-47 assault rifle.
Speaking to media, Agra Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar confirmed, “Preliminary investigations found that the sisters were targeted by a gang involved in ‘love jihad’ and radicalisation. The planning, the indoctrination methods, and the network’s infrastructure bore the signature of ISIS.”
“That image changed the nature of the case overnight,” said Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar. “We were no longer looking at a mere missing persons incident. We were staring at the face of radicalisation.”
What investigators found next was a sophisticated, multi-tiered operation spanning six Indian states and five foreign countries all allegedly orchestrated by a syndicate with foreign funding, online radicalisation tools, and sleeper recruiters working under Hindu aliases.
The network used psychological grooming, fake love affairs, financial inducements, and spiritual confusion to brainwash and convert vulnerable women. According to police sources, the gang used ‘love jihad’ methods to gain trust before introducing doctrinal indoctrination.
“The patterns of religious grooming bore an eerie resemblance to ISIS techniques — using digital isolation, religious reprogramming, and the construction of parallel realities where the victim begins to reject her own family, identity, and nation,” said a senior ATS officer, now part of the probe.
Operation Asmita
In June 2025, under the leadership of UP Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna, a high-stakes plan titled Operation Asmita was rolled out. It marked a major push under the broader Mission Asmita, a flagship initiative of the Yogi Adityanath government to combat illegal conversions and radicalisation.
Eleven specially trained teams comprising cyber experts, field officers, and women officers were dispatched across Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Goa, Delhi, and Uttarakhand. At least 50 police personnel were deployed via road and air routes in simultaneous raids a feat rarely attempted in a missing persons case.
In Kolkata, four teams led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) were mobilised. Goa was covered by air. According to Agra Police, coordination with local police units across states was critical, as several suspects were using fake Hindu names, forged Aadhaar cards, and encrypted messaging platforms to avoid detection.
The cyber team found a revert ID on Instagram linked to the younger sister. It led them to a woman named Ayesha, who also went by the alias S.B. Krishna — the queenpin of the Goa wing of the syndicate. She had allegedly converted over two dozen girls under fake spiritual mentoring schemes and offered legal aid and relocation assistance to those who renounced their faith.
Ayesha’s trail revealed the bank accounts used for foreign remittances and exposed a financial nexus that pointed toward Canada, the United States, and Gulf nations.
Arrests Across Six States: Fake identities, foreign funds, and terror linkages
Ten suspects have been arrested so far:
- Ayesha (alias S.B. Krishna) – Goa
- Ali Hasan (alias Shekhar Roy) and Osama – Kolkata
- Rehman Qureshi – Agra
- Abbu Talib – Muzaffarnagar, UP
- Abur Rehman – Dehradun
- Mustafa (alias Manoj) – Delhi
- Mohammad Ali and Junaid Qureshi – Jaipur, Rajasthan
Each played a specialised role recruiters, financers, digital handlers, relocation experts, and social media operators. Police have recovered forged documents, fake social media handles, burner phones, encrypted messages, and large financial transfers.
The kingpin, however, remains at large. Sources suggest he may be operating from a Middle Eastern country and was responsible for coordinating funds and safe houses in India. Preliminary findings suggest the gang received substantial funding from international NGOs and religious organisations based in:
- United States
- Canada
- United Arab Emirates
- Qatar
- Malaysia
Some organisations are under scanner for allegedly using humanitarian aid channels to pump money into sleeper conversion modules. Agencies are also investigating possible links with foreign embassies and aid missions.
The Uttar Pradesh government has sought central intelligence coordination, while the Ministry of Home Affairs is expected to be briefed with a dossier on the international angle. This is not an isolated incident. Over the past two years, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra have unearthed conversion factories disguised as shelters, orphanages, and educational trusts. What makes this case chilling is the direct ideological grooming that mimics global jihadist movements.
“These groups are not just converting individuals they’re converting minds and sowing civilisational confusion,” said a senior counter-terror expert. “Their real target is Bharat’s social harmony and national security.”
Mission Asmita: Yogi Adityanath’s call to defend dharma
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched Mission Asmita to protect women and children from exploitation and conversion in the name of religion. With this case, the initiative has now evolved into a national counter-radicalisation model, combining digital forensics, legal action, grassroots vigilance, and inter-state intelligence.
UP Police officials confirmed that custodial remand for the 10 accused will be sought to expose the larger network. “We believe this is just the tip of the iceberg,” said DGP Rajeev Krishna. “More arrests will follow.”
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