Chhangur Baba Conversion Syndicate: ED Probes Foreign-Funded Lonavala Land Deal Worth ₹200 Crore

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a money laundering investigation into an alleged religious conversion syndicate led by self-styled godman Jalaluddin Shah alias Chhangur Baba, accused of orchestrating a covert operation that allegedly targeted over 4,000 economically vulnerable individuals across Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

According to ED officials, the racket was operated under the garb of spiritual healing, education and welfare services, and is suspected to have been funded through foreign donations routed via NGOs. Investigators claim the network used fake identities, proxy transactions and shell entities to acquire benami properties worth over Rs 300 crore. 

The ED’s Lucknow zonal unit has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Chhangur Baba and his associates, taking cognizance of a report filed by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), which flagged suspicious foreign funding and banking transactions exceeding Rs106 crore. These funds were allegedly used to fuel illegal conversions and amass prime real estate through benami and trust-linked channels.    

Among the key transactions under the ED’s scanner is a 2023 land deal involving a Lonavala land parcel valued at Rs 16 crore. Documents accessed by The Free Press Journal reveal details of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2023 for a 187.5-ghunta plot located in Survey No. 40/1/2, Maval Taluka, Lonavala. Although the deal ultimately collapsed due to non-payment of the remaining amount, the ED suspects that the initial payment of Rs 49.80 lakh was made using laundered funds, allegedly sourced from foreign-funded religious conversion operations, 

The MoU confirms that Chhangur Baba’s name is absent from all official documentation. Instead, the agreement was executed by his close associate, Navin Ghanshyam Rohra, who acted as the primary signatory in a joint arrangement with Pune-based businessman Mohammad Ahmad Khan. Investigators believe that Chhangur Baba was the actual beneficiary, having used Rohra as a proxy to obscure both his identity and the illicit origins of the funds involved in the transaction. 

As per the MoU, Rohra transferred Rs 49.80 lakh to Khan in the following manner:  

Rs 80,000 in cash on July 16, 2023

Rs 20 lakh via RTGS on July 16, 2023

Rs 20 lakh via RTGS on July 16, 2023

Rs 9 lakh via RTGS on July 17, 2023  

An official familiar with the investigation said the payment structure, coupled with backdated paperwork and proxy-linked documentation, points to a layered money laundering strategy. “This was not a routine real estate transaction,” the official said. “The ED suspects that Chhangur Baba is the actual beneficiary, and the land was being acquired as part of a long-term laundering operation.” Investigators allege that front-facing individuals were used as financial conduits,, enabling Baba to convert illicit money allegedly routed from religious conversion campaigns and foreign sources into real estate assets.   

The Land Documents The Land Documents

What has further raised red flags for investigators is the sharp escalation in the property's valuation. The land, originally valued at Rs 16 crore just two years ago, is now reportedly worth over Rs 200 crore, prompting serious concerns over disproportionate asset accumulation and the possibility of benami ownership aimed at concealing illicit financial flows. 

The deal forms part of a broader investigation by the ED’s Lucknow Zonal Office, as the MoU includes specific profit-sharing and refund clauses. It states that if the land remains unsold by July 8, 2024, the entire amount paid must be returned to Navin Rohra. However, if the land is sold, the Rs 16 crore investment is to be recovered first, and the remaining profit is to be split equally, One half is to be split between Navin Rohra and “Chhangur baba ,” and the other half to Khan.thereby affirming the latter’s concealed financial interest in the transaction.   

  As per the MoU, any sale of the land must be executed jointly by both parties. Additional provisions allocate service charges to Mrs. Sangita Devi and assign a portion of the profits to the Aasvi Charitable Trust, based in Madhapur, ChandAuliya, Balrampur.an entity currently under ED scrutiny for allegedly operating as a front to launder foreign funds.  

The ED is now examining the role of Aasvi Charitable Trust and other such entities in  allegedly channeling foreign funds into Indian real estate. Officials indicated that further arrests and property attachments are likely as the investigation progresses..   

 According to the agreement, Khan is responsible for managing all dealings with the original landowners Maruti Ramu Sathe, Sundarabai, and Kantabai Balu Taware and ensuring legal clearances and property development.

  In addition to the Lonavala land parcel, the ED has also identified at least three residential flats in Pune, reportedly held by Chhangur Baba. The combined value of these assets runs into several crores, officials said.   

An ED official confirmed that the Lucknow unit is in touch with Mumbai counterparts and will soon share case findings for coordinated enforcement action.

 Investigators have uncovered that Chhangur Baba ran his alleged religious conversion syndicate through trusted aides, prominently Neetu Naveen Rohra (alias Nasreen) and her husband Naveen Rohra (alias Jamaluddin). Neetu, originally a Sindhi Hindu from Mulund, Mumbai, was allegedly indoctrinated by Baba and converted to Islam along with her husband and daughter in 2015. The couple later moved to Balrampur in 2020 to actively participate in the conversion network.

Post-conversion, Neetu alias Nasreen became a central recruiter, using her personal transformation story to emotionally connect with and convert vulnerable Hindu women and families. She offered financial aid, free medical services, and positioned herself as a symbol of peace and spiritual fulfilment.

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Meanwhile, Naveen alias Jamaluddin handled the financial operations of the Chhangur Baba syndicate.. He lent large sums of money to impoverished Hindu families under the pretext of help, and once they defaulted, he would offer "debt relief" in exchange for religious conversion.His role was not limited to informal money lending. Investigations revealed that he played an active role in managing and routing illegal funds, some of which allegedly came from foreign sources. These funds were used not only to sustain the conversion racket but also to purchase high-value benami properties, including the now-infamous land deal in Pune’s Maval Taluka, valued at over Rs 200 crore. In 2021, Naveen filed an affidavit in the Uttaraula Civil Court, publicly declaring his conversion and loyalty to Chhangur Baba, who he referred to as his spiritual guide. Naveen’s frequent foreign trips, particularly 19 recorded visits to the UAE,have raised serious concerns. Agencies suspect that these visits may be tied to hawala operations, foreign NGO funding, or even ideological networking abroad.   

Naveen was arrested in April 2025, along with Chhangur Baba’s son Mehboob. Neetu (alias Nasreen) and Chhangur Baba were arrested in June 2025 from a hotel in Lucknow, following a statewide manhunt.