Mirzapur 'Gym Jihad' Case: Police Arrest Two More Suspects

Mirzapur police have apprehended two more suspects, including a wanted man, in connection with the 'Gym Jihad' illegal religious conversion racket, bringing the total arrests to ten as investigations continue into the activities at local gyms.

Photograph: ANI Video Grab

Key Points

Two more individuals arrested in Mirzapur in connection with an illegal religious conversion racket.
The arrests bring the total number of people apprehended in the 'Gym Jihad' case to ten.
One of the arrested, Ashfaq Khan, had a reward of Rs 25,000 on his head.
The investigation began after complaints were filed regarding activities at local gyms with no female trainers.
Police have sealed four gyms in Mirzapur as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged conversion racket.

Police on Saturday arrested two more persons, including a wanted accused carrying a reward of Rs 25,000, in connection with an illegal religious conversion racket allegedly operating under the guise of gymnasiums here.

With these fresh arrests, the total number of people arrested in the case has reached 10.

Addressing a press conference here, Superintendent of Police (SP) Aparna Rajat Kaushik said the two wanted men were arrested by a team from the Mirzapur Dehat area based on a tip-off.

The arrested persons have been identified as Ashfaq Khan alias Lucky Khan, a resident of Mirzapur who carried a bounty of Rs 25,000, and Sahil Ahmed, from Kaimur district in Bihar.

"Eight accused had already been arrested in two separate cases related to illegal conversion. Continuing the crackdown, our teams led by the additional SP (city) and circle officer Sadar arrested two more absconding accused on Saturday," the SP said.

Investigation into the 'Gym Jihad' Racket

The racket, which has been dubbed "Gym Jihad", first came to light on January 20 after two women filed complaints at the Dehat Kotwali police station. Subsequent investigations led to the sealing of four gyms across the city.

Police officials noted that while a large number of women frequented these facilities, the management had not appointed any female trainers, which raised suspicion regarding the activities being conducted there.

After the initial revelations, four specialised police teams were constituted to probe the matter. The arrested accused have been produced before a court and sent to jail, police added.

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