Accused in Agra ‘conversion’ case was jailed for liquor smuggling in 2001

Shahganj police station SHO Jaipal Singh said a chargesheet had been filed against Valmiki in the 2001 case and trial is on. He is currently out on bail.

In November, 2001, officials of Excise department had arrested Valmiki and two others after 264 bottles of foreign liquor — allegedly were smuggled from Rajasthan — were recovered from a car. Gangsters’ Act was also invoked against them later.

After being named in the fresh case of alleged conversion, the Agra police are now looking for his acquaintances who had filed surety for his bail in the cases of liquor smuggling and Gangsters Act. The police are also in contact with their counterparts in Rajasthan to know if any case was registered against him there too. Meanwhile, the statement of Ismail Khan who had got an FIR lodged against Valmiki has been recorded before the court. Agra SSP Shalabh Mathur said police teams are conducting raids to trace Valmiki since a non-bailable warrant was issued against him.

A resident of Sadar locality in Agra, Valmiki is married. He has been accused of facilitating alleged conversion of 57 Muslim families and faces charges under IPC sections 153 B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) and 415 (cheating).