Congress councillor, accused of ‘funding conversions’, surrenders at Indore Court after two months

A Congress Councillor from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, who had been absconding for over two months in a case of allegedly funding religious conversion, surrendered before a local court on Friday (August 29, 2025), police officers said. 

According to the police, Anwar Qadri, 50, arrived to surrender before the district court after a notice had been issued against him asking him to appear before September 8. 

Indore Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Addl. DCP), Crime, Rajesh Dandotiya told The Hindu that upon receiving information about Mr. Qadri’s appearance, a police team reached the Court and took him in custody. The police have been granted his remand for five days for interrogation and further investigation in the matter, he added. 

Mr. Qadri had been booked in June after two men — Sahil Sheikh and Altaf Shah, arrested in sexual assault on the pretext of marriage cases, claimed that they had been “paid ₹3 lakh to befriend and marry Hindu women”. A video of the men’s claims had also gone viral on social media.

The influential Congress Councillor had been booked for criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021, and a search was launched against him. Later in July, Indore Collector Ashish Singh had also invoked the National Security Act (NSA) and issued his arrest orders under the law, while the police also announced a reward of ₹40,000 for information on him. 

Mr. Dandotiya said, “Multiple police teams had conducted searches at various locations linked to Anwar Qadri, including outside the State. His daughter had also been earlier arrested from Delhi and evidence was recovered. Many of his relatives in Bhopal and Rajgarh had also been questioned.”

Mr. Qadri’s daughter, who is a law student in Delhi, is currently in judicial custody, Mr. Dandotiya said, adding that some connections emerged indicating her role in her father’s activities. 

The Additional DCP said that the police were also increasing pressure on him as it had started gathering information about his properties from the local administration and civic authorities. 

“Due to this pressure, he surrendered before the Court today. We have gotten his remand till September 3. We will now interrogate him and gather more evidence in the case,” he said, adding that the accused arrived in a changed appearance to avoid being recognized.

“He usually keeps a beard but came to the court clean shaven. Some people still recognized him and tried to attack him in the court premises but the police intervened and took him in custody,” he added.

As per the police record, Mr. Qadri has 18 cases against him in various police stations in Indore as well as in Ujjain, including those of assault, attempt to murder and disrupting communal harmony, and Arms Act.