He won the title of ‘Mr Mirzapur’ in 2019, and ‘Mr Purvanchal’ in 2022, his impressive bodybuilding skills making a gym trainer’s job a natural fit for him.
Now, Faizal Khan, 34, has another tag: an accused in an alleged conversion racket which, police claim, was being run from five gyms across the town.
Known for its carpets and its temples, and far removed from the gritty Amazon Prime web series in its name, the small town of Mirzapur located along the Ganga only recently saw the fitness wave wash up to its corner, leading to opening up of seven fitness centres in the past two years alone, taking the total to 17, as per one estimate.
In the wake of the charges against owners and trainers of the five gyms, fitness centres across Mirzapur are emptying out, especially of women, say the owners.
Police have arrested eight members of the “gang” allegedly involved in harassing, blackmailing and pressuring women gym trainees into religious conversions. On Wednesday, in its latest arrest, police held a 39-year-old maulvi, Khalilur Rahman, who was allegedly “actively involved” in the conversions.
Abhishek Kushwaha, the owner of ‘The Boss Gym’, said the reputation of the entire industry is dented. (Express Photo)
What are the charges against the accused?
The accused are booked on various charges, including intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, extortion, criminal intimidation, assault or criminal force and forced conversion.
But while police talk of “nearly 20” women being targeted by the men, they are struggling to find any complainants after the initial two.
Story continues below this ad
All the five gyms, including three of KGN chain — considered Mirzapur district’s biggest such chain — have been sealed. Apart from Faizal and Maulvi Rahman, those arrested include KGN owner and “prime accused” Imran Khan (35), his brother Zaheer (32), Shadab (36), Fareed Ahmed (28), Mohammed Shaikh Ali Alam (31), and a constable, Irshad Khan (40). Police are looking for another of Imran’s brothers, Lucky Ali.
None of the arrested persons has a criminal record.
Who are the accused?
Imran, who had recently got into the property business and handed over the running of the gyms to his two brothers, was intercepted by immigration officials at Delhi Airport on January 21, after a lookout notice. Irshad, who is posted with the Government Railway Police in Bhadohi, had allegedly “invested” money in one of the gyms under investigation. Fareed, reportedly a business partner of Irshad, was arrested following an “encounter”, in which he was shot in the leg.
Manish Kumar Mishra, Additional Superintendent of Police, Mirzapur, said that they were still investigating the “network”. However, he said, “So far, our probe has not found any evidence to suggest that this group has links with others arrested in illegal conversion cases in the state.”
Dharmendra Jaiswal, 40, the manager of ‘One Rap Max Gym’ in Vasaliganj, said “rebuilding trust” is their biggest challenge. (Express Photo)
The families of the accused question the “network” allegation, saying even police recovery of allegedly incriminating videos and photographs has been made from the mobile phone of only one of the men.
Story continues below this ad
Pleading that Faizal, the second of his three children, is innocent, his father Anwar Ahmed Khan, who retired from a private firm, says: “Police picked him up from the gym and later showed his arrest in the case. His passion for bodybuilding has led him into this situation… I don’t know what evidence the police have against him.”
Faizal is married and has a son.
The family of Fareed, who was injured in an “encounter”, questioned the police version of his arrest. “Irshad had come home and Fareed had gone with him. Later, police showed him arrested in an encounter,” says his mother Safia Begum
Speaking from behind a window iron grille, and refusing to open the house door, Safia adds that Fareed had ended his partnership with Irshad about a year ago. “I don’t know what evidence has been shown against Fareed… I have been told nothing was found on his cellphone.”
The house shared by Imran and his brothers is locked. “The family left after police started visiting their home,” says neighbour Rakesh Pathak.
Story continues below this ad
The Mirzapur police says the first tip-off about the “racket” came on the women’s helpline run by them, where an alleged victim lodged a complaint against Alam, a coach at KGN gym, in confidence. Police said they summoned Alam for questioning, but initially did not consider the matter serious.
When Alam failed to appear, police say they contacted him again to resolve the complaint, and he denied the allegations. According to them, they sought to check Alam’s phone, and discovered in it a “hidden”, “password-protected” folder. The officers allegedly asked him to unlock it, and found that it contained several photographs, chat records, and a number of AI-generated images.
As per police, some photographs showed Hindu women wearing burqas, with the location shown as Varanasi, while others were suggestive photographs of women exercising at the gym. Police say they traced the identities of some of the women, and found that they were mostly locals.
They decided then to find out and contact the woman who had called on the helpline. She turned out to be a college student, and allegedly filed a detailed statement, claiming the presence of an organised gang that used AI-generated images to blackmail victims, and forced them to come to gyms, among other places. She reportedly said she was pressured to wear a burqa, recite religious verses, and to convert, and was threatened with her life when she refused. She also claimed the accused used photos to extort money from her, and to make her visit different places with them.
Story continues below this ad
Later, another woman approached police and reportedly filed a similar complaint against the same group.
Police claim that digital evidence and interrogation of the accused confirm the allegations of an organised gang operating through gyms to target young women. They also claim the women were blackmailed to give cash to the accused.
“During the course of the investigation, the suspects have confessed to the crime,” Mirzapur Circle Officer Munendrapal Singh says. “Probe has revealed that the accused were operating the gang through gyms to specifically target women. They were also found to be extorting money from the victims.”
Police say they believe the other “victims” are apprehensive about lodging complaints as they fear repercussions. They claim to have met one of them to persuade her, but failed. Responding to queries about this, Singh says that the investigation is still underway “and that more facts and developments are likely to emerge as the probe progresses”.
Story continues below this ad
Under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion legislation, which prohibits religious conversion by means of misrepresentation, force, fraud, undue influence, coercion, allurement, or marriage, the maximum punishment is life imprisonment.
Gym owners worried, reach out to patrons to reassure them
With the town’s rumour mills busy, gym owners say many of their women clientele have stopped coming, as have youths belonging to the Muslim community. Only now had the business really taken off with more and more middle-aged women signing up, they say.
Abhay Gupta, 30, who runs a sweet shop near one of the sealed gyms, says families are uneasy about young girls visiting gyms in the wake of the controversy. “Earlier, this gym had a good crowd, and people trusted it,” he says.
Abhishek Kushwaha, the owner of ‘The Boss Gym’, says: “The reputation of the entire industry is dented. We don’t doubt that police acted on the basis of solid evidence, but its fallout has created widespread fear and anxiety among women clients and their parents.”
Story continues below this ad
Kushwaha, who started The Boss Gym five years ago and now has around 130 members, including women, says the episode underlines the need for a district-level gym association. Such a body would regulate operations, ensure discipline, and prevent “misuse”, he says. “It would also help rebuild public trust.”
Many gym owners have been calling up clients and their parents to assure them that their facilities are safe, professionally managed, and have no links to the sealed gyms. They have also held meetings, and conveyed the “safety measures” they have put in place, to reassure customers.
Additional benefits not enough to bring back customers?
Some gyms have come up with offers such as Zumba and aerobics classes within the membership package to lure clients back. Others are advertising that they are appointing more women instructors, creating time slots exclusively for women, and strengthening supervision inside the premises.
However, clients have been giving reasons such as guests at home, examinations, health issues, or the coming Ramzan, to say they can’t join back for now.
Story continues below this ad
Dharmendra Jaiswal, 40, the manager of ‘One Rap Max Gym’ in Vasaliganj, says “rebuilding trust” is their biggest challenge. “People are scared. That is why we are taking every possible step to create a secure and comfortable environment for women.”
Sagar Kasera, who started ‘Fit 3’ a year ago, says while facilities near the sealed gyms have been the worst affected, his gym located on the outskirts of the city has also felt the impact. “Not a single new woman customer has come in even for a consultation,” he says.
Mohammad Azad Ansari, who opened ‘Solid Gym’ around three months ago, says he is relatively unaffected for now, as he had just started and doesn’t have a big client base.
One woman present at a gym, who did not want to be identified, says: “We keep assuring our parents that we train only under women coaches and go to the gym only when other women are present.”
Sahiba Balmiki, a 20-year-old graduate student, who joined a gym about a year and a half ago, says before this, it had been heartening to see women of all ages signing up. But she understands the “fear”. “For women, safety is always the first priority…. It has not just created fear and uncertainty, but also hit their confidence.”
