ED files chargesheet against 6 in case of religious conversion of deaf children

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet before a court here on Friday against six accused for allegedly laundering money received from Pakistani intelligence agency ISI for the alleged conversion of deaf students and poor people to Islam in Uttar Pradesh.

The chargesheet named Mohammad Umar Gautam, Sallahuddin Zeinuddin Shaikh and Mufti Qazi Jehangir Qasmi, who are currently lodged in judicial custody in Lucknow, as the accused in the case.

The federal agency also named three organisations -- Islamic Dawah Centre, Fatimah Charitable Foundation and AFMI Charitable Trust -- as the accused in the chargesheet filed before Additional Sessions Judge Rajinder Singh, who put up the matter for consideration on February 17.

According to the document, the agency is tracking proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 3 crore.

The chargesheet, filed by ED's Special Public Prosecutor N K Matta, alleged that the accused were involved in getting people of another religion converted into Islam on a large scale.

About 1000 non-Muslims have been converted and married to Muslims, the agency said.

Further, it was stated that the accused were running an organisation -- Islamic Dawah Centre (IDC) -- for the purpose of carrying out conversions and huge funds were provided to it from different sources, including those in foreign countries, the ED said.

It further came to light that students of the Deaf and Dumb School of the NOIDA Deaf Society have been illegally converted through misrepresentation, allurement and fraudulent means, the agency, also represented by advocate Mohammad Faizan Khan, said.

According to the complaint, the accused were involved in promoting enmity between different religious groups and disturbing the sovereignty and integrity of India by influencing non-Muslims to embrace Islam.