Meerut/Lucknow: Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh ATS team from Meerut in connection with the religious conversion.
Kaleem's activities were suspected to be suspicious and was under police custody, ATS sources here on Wednesday confirmed.
Kaleem, who was in touch with the main accused Umar Gautam, was arrested in the conversion case, for his active role, said ADG (Law and order) Prashant Kumar in Lucknow on Wednesday.
He said this is the 11th arrest by ATS in conversion case as 6 teams are engaged in collecting evidences.
"Maulana Kaleem has set up a Trust and through it they were operating an illegal conversion racket," Mr Kumar said.
The Maulana was engaged in the conversion racket for the past years and they were being funded from foreign agencies.
Evidence of funding of Rs 3 crore from abroad has been found against Kaleem. Of the total amount Rs 1.50 crore had come from Bahrain on his name of the director of Jamia Imam Waliullah Trust. His relationship with Umar Gautam and other accused is under investigation.
Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui (64 years) had come to a program at the residence of Imam Shariq of Humayunnagar Masjid Mashallah in Lisadigate, Meerut, along with fellow other clerics, at 7 pm on Tuesday.
After the prayer of Isha at nine o'clock in the night, he along with his companions returned back by car. During this, the family called him, but the mobile was found switched off. The family gave the information to Imam Shariq in Meerut. Family and friends started searching, but the information could not be found. After this, a crowd of people gathered at the Lisadigate police station. The commotion continued till late night. After some time information was received that Maulana has been taken into custody by the ATS.
Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, a resident of Phulat area of ??Muzaffarnagar, and three others and driver Salim were picked up by the security agency on Tuesday night. Throughout the night, the Lucknow ATS interrogated these four maulanas.
Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui of Fulat is included in the name of Islamic scholars. He is also the director of Fulat's Madrasa Jamia Imam Waliullah Islamia. Maulana Kaleem also participated in the nation first and nation paramount program organized by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Mumbai on September 7 last. (UNI)