Religious Conversion Through Gaming App: Mosque Committee Member, Imam Arrested For Targeting Youths In Ghaziabad

Police have uncovered what they claim to be a racket involving religious conversion through a gaming app that has been operating for some years now.

A member of the mosque committee, Abdul Rehman, has been arrested and accused of converting at least four youths.

According to the DCP Nipurn Aggarwal, they had evidence to prove Rehman tried to convert four youths - two from Ghaziabad, one from Faridabad and another from Chandigarh.

"We have learnt that he was talking to the four youths since 2021 and was sending them videos about religion," the officer said, reports TOI.

The imam of another mosque, Khan Shahnawaz alias Baddo in Thane, has also been booked in connection with the conversion.

The investigation arose after a father from Faridabad reported that his son had been converted by someone he met on the app and had been visiting the Sanjay Nagar mosque.

The father had recently learnt that his son was lying about going to the gym and visiting the mosque instead for prayers.

Abdul Rehman is originally from Ballia. The mosque committee has told the cops that Rehman had quit the panel a few months ago, but is yet to submit any proof of the claim.

"They don't have any proof. They, however, removed Rehman from the mosque committee's WhatsApp group on 2 June after the FIR was lodged in the conversion row," the police said.

"We have questioned the boy from Faridabad and learnt that he and the others were in contact with Rehman through a gaming app since 2021. His mother witnessed a change in his behaviour and tried to counsel him, but to no avail," the ACP Abhishek Srivastava, said, according to the report.

We are yet to question the youth from Chandigarh. One of the youths from Ghaziabad had met Baddo after losing his parents during the deadly second wave of Covid in 2021, Srivastava said.

"After his parents died, he himself tested positive. The imam reached out to him and made him believe that his prayers had cured him of the virus. The youth - a minor then - started watching some YouTube videos on Islam and was drawn to the sermons.

"He started visiting the mosque often. His sister once saw him offering namaz and informed the parents. The youth was then counselled," Srivastava added.

According to the police, it was at the Sanjay Nagar mosque that the boy met another youth from the NCR city. He, too, was persuaded to convert his religion.