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

Nafis Chishti is an former Indian politician and Khadim of Ajmer Sharif Dargah, who gained notoriety as one of the primary convicts in the Ajmer Rape & Blackmail Case that occurred in the early 1990s.

Wiki/Biography

Nafis Chishti aka Nafees Chishti aka Nafees Chishtee was born in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. He later became the Vice-President of the Indian Youth Congress, Ajmer.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 7″

Weight (approx.): 75 kg

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family

He belongs to the extended family of Khadim of Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

Parents & Siblings

There is not much information about his parents and siblings.

Wife & Children

There are not much details about his wife and children.

Religion

He follows Islam.

Blackmailing Racket

In 1990, a young girl named Gita, who was a Class 12 student at Savitri School in Ajmer, expressed her interest in joining the Congress party. She met a person named Ajay, who claimed to have connections that could help her in achieving her goal. Ajay introduced her to Nafis and Farooq Chishti, whom he vouched for as trustworthy individuals. Gita discussed her desire for a gas connection. Ajay saw this as an opportunity to take advantage of her and introduced her to Nafis and Farooq, who initially interacted with Gita in the presence of Ajay, assuring her that they would help her secure a position within the Congress. They provided her with forms to fill out, including the requirement of a passport-sized photograph. Gita, feeling confident in their intentions, did not suspect any foul play when Nafis and Farooq offered her a ride one day; however, instead of taking her to school as promised, they took her to a farmhouse against her will.

Gita believed that the purpose of this detour was to discuss her involvement in Congress; however, when alone with Nafis, he sexually assaulted her and threatened her life if she didn’t comply with his demands. Nafis continued to intimidate Gita in the following days, warning her of the consequences of speaking out about the assault. This marked the beginning of a series of coercive actions. Gita was manipulated into introducing Nafis and Farooq to other girls, presenting them as her ‘brothers’ and gaining their trust.

These girls were invited to gatherings, which were referred to as ‘parties,’ at the farmhouse or Farooq’s bungalow. Many of these women experienced sexual assault by one or multiple perpetrators, with photos of the assaults taken as a means of control and to ensure their silence through shame and blackmail. It is alleged that the gang exploited over 250 schoolgirls and college girls.

Disclosure of the Shocking News

The circulation of the sexual assault images took a disturbing turn when certain employees at the photo lab, where the pictures were being developed, began sharing them among themselves, further perpetuating the abuse, and this unintentionally brought the case to public attention. Purshottam, one of the reel developers, boasted about these explicit images to his neighbour, Devendra Jain, who happened to be looking at a pornographic magazine.

Purshottam claimed to possess even more explicit content, referring to it as the ‘real stuff.’ Alarmed by this revelation, Devendra made copies of the pictures and forwarded them to the local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) group and the newspaper Dainik Navajyoti. The VHP workers, in turn, handed the pictures over to the police, prompting an official investigation into the matter.

Police Enquiry & Reaction of Public

Santosh Gupta, a local reporter, published his initial report in Dainik Navajyoti on 21 April 1992, shedding light on the issue of sexual exploitation; however, the report didn’t gain much attention until 15 May 1992 when the newspaper published a second report featuring blurred images of the unclothed survivors. This revelation caused an immediate uproar and ignited public anger. In response, Ajmer witnessed a complete shutdown on 18 May as a form of protest against the heinous crime.

An FIR numbered 90/1992 was filed at Ganj Police Station in Ajmer, specifically addressing charges of rape and blackmail. On 27 May 1992, the police took a significant step by issuing 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, lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at Ganj Police Station. In order to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, N. K. Patni, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of the CID-Crime Branch from Jaipur, was sent to Ajmer.

Arrest & Bail

Out of the eighteen individuals implicated in the case, one of them, Purshottam, tragically died by suicide in 1994. In the initial trial, eight suspects were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the district sessions court in 1998; however, in 2001, the Rajasthan High Court acquitted four of them, and the Supreme Court reduced the sentences of the remaining four to ten years in 2003. As for the remaining accused, they were arrested and brought to trial at different intervals over the subsequent decades. Nafis Chishty, who had a criminal record and was also wanted in connection with drug peddling cases, managed to evade arrest until 2003 when he was apprehended by the Delhi Police while attempting to disguise himself in a burqa. As of January 2022, Nafis was undergoing trial in a POCSO court, but he was out on bail.

Other Crimes

After being released from jail, he became active in the world of crime. His residence, located on the fifth floor of a hotel at Pannigrahan Chowk, served as a major hub for cricket betting, connected to an international network of betting. In 2018, the special police team led by then-Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar conducted a raid on Nafis’ house and seized Rs. 5.20 crore, which was generated from betting.. The investigation revealed that Nafis’ gang was involved in this illicit business of gambling. The gang was also providing credit lines to the bookies. The key players of the gang had connections with a bookie named Bunti based in Dubai. During the raid, 15 mobile phones, a laptop, a phone recorder, diaries, and Rs 2 lakhs in cash were confiscated. Cases were filed against Nafis Chishti under the Gambling Act, which is usually disposed of after the payment of fines. He was also convicted of drug smuggling.

Life After Revelation

Following his release, Nafis Chishty has been leading a relatively privileged life in Ajmer. As of 2023, he is known to be a frequent visitor to the Dargah Sharif, where some individuals still engage in the ritual of kissing his hands as a mark of respect.

In Popular Media

A web series titled ‘Ajmer 1992’ was announced in 2021, based on the events surrounding the 1992 Ajmer Rape Scandal which was later shelved. In July 2023, the film ‘Ajmer 92’ was released, directed by Pushpendra Singh and featuring Karan Verma, Sumit Singh, and Rajesh Sharma in prominent roles.