Salim Wastik: An Ex-Muslim's Fairy Tale Case

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam

28 April 2026

A man wanted for a 1995 murder of a 13-year-old boy in Delhi has been arrested after a 31-year wait, during which the convict changed name and travelled through states to evade arrest. He was finally nabbed by the Delhi Police in Loni, Ghaziabad. The accused, Salim Khan, also known as Salim Wastik, posed as a social activist and Youtuber. He was also attacked for his religious views in February.

Police said that during the last 31 years, Salim Khan continuously evaded arrest by travelling through Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. He was finally apprehended on Tuesday after the Crime Branch of Delhi Police arrested the convict from Ghaziabad, a police statement said. Years later, a team of Delhi Police was tasked to maintain surveillance and nab the parole jumpers involved in crimes. A head constable, Mintu Yadav, received a tip that a famous Youtuber, Salim Khan, was involved in a 31-years-old kidnapping for ransom and murder. It was also revealed that the Youtuber had declared himself dead in the eyes of law enforcement agencies.

Doesn't it sound like a fairy tale? The whole episode engenders a number of questions. Why didn't Salim leave Delhi and NCR after jumping parole? Why did he choose to live in a region where he knew that he could be caught again? He didn't undergo any plastic surgery to hide his identity. Instead, he became a 'famous' YouTuber! Didn't he ever think that his videos on YouTube would prove to be his undoing? Who were those two Muslim guys who tried to kill Salim for his radical views against Islam and were later gunned down by the trigger-happy UP police in separate encounters? Who inspired or instigated him to leave Islam? Did he leave it of his own accord? All these suggest foul play and smell a rat.

This whole business of 'ex-Muslim' is also exasperating. Many times, the so-called 'ex-Muslims' are funded and supported by dubious Hindu organizations like The Jaipur Dialogues. Ex-Muslim Sahil is a prominent speaker and creator frequently featured on The Jaipur Dialogues platform, known for discussing his departure from Islam and analyzing Islamic theology. He regularly appears alongside figures like Anand Ranganathan, Neeraj Atri, and Sanjay Dixit, covering topics on religious criticism and Hinduism vs. Islam.

All these 'ex-Muslims' are opportunists and dubious characters who're used by rabid Sanatanis. Most of them are publicity seekers. If one relinquishes a faith, all remnants and vestiges of the earlier faith must also be expunged. Why do these people still use the label, 'Muslim'? It's obvious that they want to eat the cake and have it too. Salim Wastik's case must be investigated further to know the truth. It still has many loopholes and loose ends.

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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.

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