Minor Hindu children offered inducements and targeted for conversion by Islamic conversion racket disguised as an NGO
Bagmati Zone, Nepal 
24 August, 2025
Case Summary
In multiple cities across Nepal, minor Hindu children were targeted for religious conversion by an organised Islamic conversion racket, which was operating under the guise of an NGO. According to reports, an organised Islamic conversion racket was operating across multiple cities in Nepal, including the districts of Kapilvastu, Siraha, Rautahat, Banke, and Dang, which border India. The conversion racket was operating under the guise of an NGO named Himalaya Education and Welfare Society, which was primarily targeting poor and orphaned minor Hindu children. Investigations revealed that poor and orphaned Hindu children from various cities were being brought to hostels run by the NGO in Lalitpur, Nepal. These children, and their parents, were offered inducements in the name of free education and housing, which persuaded poor Hindu families to send their children to the institution. However, instead of following Nepal’s government-prescribed curriculum for education, the Hindu children were taught the Quran and other Islamic texts. Furthermore, Hindu children were actively encouraged to abandon Hinduism and convert to Islam. Foreign nationals, including Islamic scholars from Indonesia, entered Nepal on tourist visas to participate in teaching, directly violating Nepal's immigration laws. Nepal police conducted multiple raids across various cities and busted the conversion racket. Documents and registers recovered during the raids indicated that the network had been operating for several years, raising millions of rupees from foreign sources to distribute books and organise religious events aimed at conversion. Investigators also found that the NGO received approximately 25 million Nepali rupees in foreign funding, with the Turkish organisation Inspire International being a key contributor. The scale and coordination of the network represented not only a threat to Nepal’s education system but also a serious concern for the social balance of the region. Meanwhile, Indian security agencies were also closely monitoring the situation due to the proximity of the affected districts to the Indian border.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is - Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Within this, the tertiary category selected is- Conversion of Minor and Pattern of targeting Hindus. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting, regimented ideas. Religious grooming or brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such grooming or brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category selected here is - Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement. Predatory Proselytisation is not just limited to threat, harassment, force and violence, but it also has contours of stealth. In several cases, the Hindu victim is exploited to convert, with non-Hindus taking advantage of their poverty. In such cases, the Hindu victim who is suffering financially is offered monetary benefits, including lucrative offers for jobs, health treatment, education, etc, to induce the victim into changing his/her religion. In such cases, the religious identity of the victim and the aim to disenfranchise him from his faith form the heart of the crime. Also, taking advantage of and exploiting an individual’s economic vulnerabilities is widely acknowledged as exploitation, forms of which are often penalised by law. Such cases therefore are considered religiously motivated hate crimes since the victim’s religious identity forms the very heart of the crime itself. This case has been added to the tracker because minor Hindu children were targeted for religious conversion by an organised Islamic conversion racket operating under the guise of an NGO. The perpetrators offered inducements in the form of free education and housing to lure poor Hindu children, after which the children were systematically pushed towards conversion. Offering incentives or making false promises, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, is not an act of charity but a calculated method to exploit Hindu children because of their religion. By providing such inducements in exchange for conversion, the accused effectively manipulated and coerced those who were dependent on assistance, exploiting their vulnerability. Similar patterns have been observed in other cases where organised networks deliberately target socially and economically disadvantaged Hindus to further religious conversion agendas. This form of coercion strips people of their agency and dignity and results in coerced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Furthermore, the perpetrators were actively indoctrinating Hindu children by teaching Islamic religious texts, including the Quran. The perpetrators deliberately went against the government-prescribed syllabus and taught Hindu minors Islamic religious texts. Using the scriptures of one faith to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, with the intention of religious conversion, constitutes a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions were designed to undermine the beliefs of Hindu children and represent clear religious hostility. The use of Islamic religious material to exploit trust, sow doubt, and coerce conversion, particularly in a coordinated manner, demonstrates that this was not an isolated act of religious instruction but part of a broader, organised operation to achieve conversions. It is especially important to note that the victims were minors, which means the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Minors, due to their young age and lack of maturity, are particularly vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not have the ability to fully understand the implications of converting to another religion, and the Muslim perpetrator purposely targeted and exploited this vulnerability of the victim. Since this case exemplifies the use of coercion and manipulation to achieve religious conversion, it is a blatant act of religious hate, which is why it has been documented here in the hate tracker. Such acts are not merely criminal in nature; they are ideologically charged, revealing religious prejudice and a calculated intent to alter the religious identity of vulnerable Hindu children without their volition. The use of grooming and trust-building to exploit children is a methodical and insidious tactic that preys on their dependence and naivety. In this context, evidence from investigations, including recovered documents and registers, confirms the systematic nature of these actions. The conversion activities were carried out under the guise of an NGO, which served as a front for the illegal conversion activities. By presenting itself as an educational and welfare institution, the NGO deceptively facilitated the targeting and conversion of Hindu children, further proving the communal nature of the whole act. Such actions stem from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert. Therefore, religious conversions, even of minors, are often seen as a badge of honour, totally disregarding the methods used to achieve it. Since such predatory actions stem from doctrinal animosity towards the Hindu faith and its adherents, this case is being documented as a religiously motivated hate crime. The coordinated efforts to convert Hindu children and the wider implications for the Hindu community indicate a targeted action against Hindus as a collectivity. When individuals or groups systematically focus on converting members of a particular religion, it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for that faith. Forced or coerced conversions are not about sharing beliefs but about undermining the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this case, the Islamic conversion network specifically targeted Hindu children, demonstrating a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers, making these acts a religiously motivated offence. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when the victim’s ordeal began. However, in this case, the report does not provide specific details regarding when these conversion activities began taking place. Therefore, for documentation purposes, the date of the incident has been recorded as the date it was reported in the media- August 25, 2025.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
