Nafis Chishti Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Nafis Chishti

• Nafis Chishti is a former Indian politician and Khadim of Ajmer Sharif Dargah. He became infamous as one of the main convicts in the 1992 Ajmer Rape & Blackmail Case.

• During his youth, he rose to the position of Vice-President of the Indian Youth Congress in Ajmer.

• In 1990, a young girl named Gita, a Class 12 student at Savitri School in Ajmer, expressed her interest in joining the Congress party. She met Ajay, who claimed to have connections to assist her in achieving her goal. Ajay introduced her to Nafis and Farooq Chishti, whom he assured were trustworthy individuals.
  

  Nafis Chishti and Farooq Chishti during their youth

• During one of their interactions, Gita mentioned her wish for a gas connection. Ajay took advantage of her situation and got her to meet Nafis and Farooq in his presence. They promised to help her secure a position in Congress and provided her with forms to fill out, including the requirement of a passport-sized photograph.

• Gita felt assured and didn’t suspect any wrongdoing when Nafis and Farooq offered her a ride one day; however, they deviated from their promise and took her to a farmhouse against her will. After the detour, Gita thought they would discuss her involvement in Congress; however, when alone with Nafis, he sexually assaulted her and threatened her life if she didn’t obey his demands.
  

  The farmhouse where girls were raped in the Ajmer 92 case

• In the days that followed, Nafis intimidated Gita, warning her about the consequences of speaking out. Gita was later manipulated into introducing Nafis and Farooq to other girls, portraying them as her ‘brothers’ to gain their trust. These girls were invited to gatherings, known as ‘parties,’ at the farmhouse or Farooq’s bungalow. Many of these women experienced sexual assault, and photographs of the assaults were taken to control and silence them through shame and blackmail. The gang allegedly exploited over 250 schoolgirls and college girls.
  

  Van used to kidnap girls

• The situation took a disturbing turn when employees at the photo lab, where the pictures were developed, started sharing the sexual assault images among themselves, continuing the abuse. This inadvertently led to the case becoming known to the public. One of the reel developers, Purshottam, bragged about these explicit images to his neighbour, Devendra Jain, who was looking at a pornographic magazine at the time.

• Upon hearing Purshottam’s claim of having even more explicit content, Devendra became alarmed. He took the initiative to make copies of the pictures and sent them to the local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) group and the newspaper Dainik Navajyoti. The VHP workers then handed the pictures over to the police, leading to an official investigation into the matter.

• A local reporter named Santosh Gupta wrote his first report for Dainik Navajyoti on 21 April 1992, bringing attention to the issue of sexual exploitation; however, it didn’t gain significant attention until 15 May 1992 when the newspaper published a second report with blurred images of the unclothed survivors. This revelation caused an immediate uproar and sparked public anger. In response, Ajmer witnessed a complete shutdown on 18 May as a protest against the heinous crime.
  

  A newspaper cutting of the Ajmer Rape Case 1992

• An FIR with the number 90/1992 was lodged at Ganj Police Station in Ajmer, specifically addressing charges of rape and blackmail. On 27 May 1992, the police issued National Security Act (NSA) warrants against some of the accused involved in the case. Three days later, Hari Prasad Sharma, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of North Ajmer, filed a First Information Report (FIR) at Ganj Police Station. To conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, N. K. Patni, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of the CID-Crime Branch from Jaipur, was assigned and sent to Ajmer.

• In the case involving eighteen individuals, one of them, Purshottam, died by suicide in 1994. During the initial trial, eight suspects were found guilty and received life imprisonment from the district sessions court in 1998; however, in 2001, the Rajasthan High Court acquitted four of them, and the Supreme Court reduced the remaining four’s sentences to ten years in 2003. The rest of the accused were arrested and brought to trial at various times in the following years.
  

  Convicts of Ajmer Rape Case 1992

• Nafis Chishti had a criminal record and was wanted in drug peddling cases, but managed to evade arrest until 2003 when the Delhi Police caught him while trying to disguise himself in a burqa. As of January 2022, Nafis was facing trial in a POCSO court, but he was out on bail. ^[1]Indian Kanoon ^[2]Indian Kanoon

• After his release from jail, Nafis Chishti became involved in criminal activities. He resided on the fifth floor of a hotel at Pannigrahan Chowk, where he operated a significant cricket betting hub connected to an international betting network. In 2018, a special police team led by then-Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar seized ₹5.20 crore during a raid from Nafis’ house; the funds were believed to be generated from betting.

• The investigation uncovered Nafis’ gang’s involvement in this illegal gambling business, and they were providing credit lines to bookies. The key players in the gang had connections with a bookie named Bunti based in Dubai. During the raid, authorities confiscated 15 mobile phones, a laptop, a phone recorder, diaries, and Rs 2 lakhs in cash. Cases were filed against Nafis Chishti under the Gambling Act, which is typically resolved by paying fines. Additionally, he was convicted of drug smuggling. ^[3]Dainik Bhaskar

• After being released from jail, Nafis Chishty has been living a comparatively privileged life in Ajmer. As of 2023, he is a frequent visitor to the Dargah Sharif, where certain individuals still show reverence by kissing his hands.
  

  Anwar Chishti, Nafis Chishti, and Farooq Chishti with a friend (left to right)

• In 2021, a web series called ‘Ajmer 1992’ was announced, centred around the events of the 1992 Ajmer Rape Scandal. Directed by Pushpendra Singh and starring Sahil Mishra, a skilled film and theatre actor from Bhopal, the series is anticipated to be accessible for streaming in December 2021. Additionally, in July 2023, the movie ‘Ajmer 92‘ was released, directed by Pushpendra Singh and featuring Karan Verma, Sumit Singh, and Rajesh Sharma in significant roles.
  

  A poster of Ajmer 92

• On 20 August 2024, Nafees Chishti, along with five others, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Pocso court. The court also imposed a fine of Rs. 5 lakh each on them.