Politicians, Top Cop In Conversion Mastermind Chhangur Baba's 'Red Diary'

Days after it was revealed that Chhangur Baba, alias Jamaluddin, the mastermind of a religious conversion gang, had Rs 106 crore in foreign funding, a 'red diary' has emerged in the ongoing probe. The document, retrieved during a raid by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), allegedly contains the names of several politicians and former officials who allegedly received financial backing from Chhangur Baba during the 2022 state Assembly elections.

Multiple agencies, including the ATS, the Special Task Force (STF), and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), are now focused on this diary, which may provide evidence linking Chhangur Baba's sprawling Rs 106 crore foreign-funded empire.

From Charm Seller to Political Financier

Jamaluddin, known popularly as Chhangur Baba or Pir Baba, is a resident of Rehra Mafi village in Balrampur, a district bordering Nepal. He began his career selling rings and amulets on a bicycle. Then over the course of a decade, he built a multi-crore business model. 

Chhangur Baba's financial rise was fuelled by donations received from various Middle Eastern countries. Official estimates now suggest he maintained over 40 active bank accounts through which approximately Rs 106 crore was routed. Two of his properties -- one in Balrampur and another in Maharashtra's Lonavala -- are estimated to be worth over Rs 18 crore. The property in Lonavala, purchased in August 2023, was registered jointly in his and an associate's name.

According to ED officials, a man named Mohammad Ahmed Khan sold the Lonavala land to Baba. An individual with the same name has also emerged as a suspected sender of funds into Baba's accounts. 

Political Links 

What is now under investigation is the alleged political patronage that Chhangur Baba cultivated. The red diary, according to sources, lists at least half a dozen politicians who are believed to have received substantial amounts of cash from Chhangur Baba.

One entry in the diary allegedly details a payment of Rs 90 lakh to a former candidate from Utraula constituency for the 2022 assembly elections. Though the candidate lost, the diary indicates that Chhangur Baba was planning to back another -- a former IPS officer -- in the 2027 elections from the same seat. 

Over the years, Chhangur Baba is believed to have poured resources into political campaigns across Balrampur and neighbouring constituencies. According to sources, he played an active role in both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, not only by funding candidates but also by mobilising his followers to vote en masse.

Photographs of Chhangur Baba with gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, who was killed in 2023, had earlier gone viral on social media.

Foreign Funding and Conversion

Chhangur Baba was arrested alongside Neetu alias Nasreen from a hotel in Lucknow on July 5. He faces allegations of orchestrating illegal religious conversions targeting economically vulnerable individuals, including widows, daily-wage labourers, and members of Scheduled Castes, using money, coercion, and promises of marriage.

A case was initially registered by the STF in Balrampur. The ED later opened its own inquiry under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on July 9.

The ED is also examining whether funds were routed through shell entities or third-party organisations, some of which may have ties to institutions under the scanner for violating the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).

On July 17, the ED launched simultaneous raids at 14 premises, 12 in Utraula and two in Mumbai. 

Simultaneously, the local administration demolished sections of an illegally constructed complex in Madhupur village, about 3 km from Chhangur Baba's native village. Official documents revealed that the land was government-owned, and the building, which was monitored by 15 CCTV cameras and housed two guard dogs, had long been under suspicion. 

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