Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Sunday arrested a clerk at Balrampur Court for his alleged association with Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba, the mastermind behind an illegal religious conversion syndicate. Rajesh Upadhyay, the accused, was arrested from Chinhat for allegedly providing court-level assistance and funding to Chhangur, making him the sixth associate of Chhangur to be apprehended.ATS sources said that during interrogation, Rajesh confessed to misusing his position to secure court relief for Chhangur in multiple cases. Chhangur faces charges under various sections, including sedition, fraud, inciting hatred among communities and violations of the anti-conversion law. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) previously conducted raids on 12 locations linked to Chhangur in Balrampur.The ATS revealed that Rajesh’s wife Sangeeta is connected to a Rs 16 crore property deal in Pune, which is under investigation for potential links to hawala transactions and conversion activities. Earlier, the ED had conducted raids on Rajesh’s properties in Lucknow.Sangeeta is also named in agreements for two properties in Balrampur. Investigations by the ATS and ED have uncovered evidence of transactions totalling around Rs 8 lakh in Rajesh’s bank account, tied to the Chhangur syndicate. Additionally, probes revealed the Chhangur gang filed lawsuits against opponents, with Rajesh’s involvement in these cases coming under scrutiny.Probe also revealed that Rajesh also assisted other accused in advancing their cases in the court. The ATS and ED were probing Chhangur’s illegal transactions and properties when they discovered the Pune land deal, leading to Sangeeta’s involvement. Subsequent transactions in Rajesh’s accounts prompted further investigation by the agencies.Originally from Varanasi, Rajesh owns a lavish bungalow in Lucknow and was living in a rented house in Balrampur.
