Prime Accused Shahnawaz Khan Held from Raigad District in Maharashtra

Shahnawaz Khan alias Badu, a prime suspect wanted by the UP Police for allegedly running a racket involved in religious conversion of youths through an online gaming app, has been arrested from Raigad district of Maharashtra state, an official said Sunday. He was arrested from Alibagh town.

The official said Ghaziabad police were looking for Khan, who hails from Mumbra town in Thane district of Maharashtra state.

He said Khan would be taken to Mumbra for questioning, but refused to give further details.

As per the case details, Khan and a mosque cleric in Ghaziabad have been booked under the Uttar Pradesh law to ban illegal conversion on the basis of a complaint.

Police said a Ghaziabad man lodged a complaint with the police last month alleging that the cleric and Badu had illegally converted his son, who had recently passed his class 12 majlis exam, to Islam.

Police said the complainant alleged that his son contacted Bedouin through an online gaming app and repeatedly spoke to him, which then prompted him to convert to Islam.

Police said the boy told his father that he had converted to Islam after Badu convinced him to do so.

(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)