More details have emerged in the Delhi conversion case following the arrest of one Mohammed Kalim in connection with his alleged connection with a conversion racket here at Turkman Gate Night Shelter.
It has been alleged that Kalim used to show YouTube videos of his religion to Hindu youth and question their faith. He also threatened his prospective targets to either convert to Islam or have their throats slit, similar to what happened to Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan.
According to a source, the accused had said: “You will be rewarded if you convert to Islam… otherwise, remember what happened to Rajasthan’s Kanhaiya Lal. You will meet the same fate.”
Kalim showed Hindu youths videos of the banned Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, and also talked about “72 Hoors of Jannat”. He often mentioned that if someone converts to Islam, he receives “72 Hoors”.
A source in the police said that Kalim mostly targeted under-privileged individuals as they were ‘soft targets’.
“The modus operandi is the same as the Ghaziabad conversion racket, where the victims were shown YouTube videos and asked to recite religious verses before starting any work,” a source said.
Kalim had also attempted to bribe Sandeep Sagar, the victim in the current case. The accused promised him a monthly payment of Rs 1 lakh, arranged a government job, and offered to arrange his marriage if he converted to Islam.
Sagar had been working as a caretaker at the Night Shelter at Delhi Gate for four years, where Kalim forced him to convert to Islam.
“Kalim started bothering me unnecessarily. Sometimes he would demand money, and other times he would force me to recite particular religious slogans/verses that were not from my religion before I started my work. I lodged a complaint in this regard at Police Station Daryaganj, but Kalim apologised and I forgave him,” read the FIR accessed by IANS.
The source said while checking Kalim’s cell phone, the police discovered five WhatsApp groups where he discussed religious matters and other related issues.
The police are now planning to visit three different Madrasas. Kalim allegedly used to collect funds for these Madrasas.
“We have recovered slips from three different Madrasas located in Agra, Fatehabad, and New Seelampur. Kalim is a resident of Barabanki, but his family has disowned him. We will send our teams to these places to gather more information about Kalim,” the source said.
Kalim is currently in judicial custody.
The police have received three separate complaints against him and have filed an FIR.
He is a computer science graduate. Keeping this in mind, the police also want to examine all his gadgets.
A special team has been formed to look into the matter.
(Atul Krishan can be approached at atul.k@ians.in)
20230611-182602
