Muslim man from Assam's Baksa pretends to be Rana Saha to lure minor Hindu girl on social media
Baksa, Assam, India 
27 June, 2024
Case Summary
A 20-year-old male from the Baksa district of Assam was taken into custody for hiding his religious identity and pretending to be Rana Saha on social media platforms to trap a Hindu girl. Her family said that he created fake profiles on Facebook and Instagram to get close to her. He was caught by members of the Bajrang Dal and handed over to the police at Barpeta Road police station. The girl's sister filed a legal complaint against him, and a case (No. 15/24) was opened by the police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal intimidation, cheating, and fanning religious sentiments. Additionally, charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were included, suggesting the girl was a minor.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
When a non-Hindu man pretends to be a Hindu to deceive a Hindu woman into a relationship, the act is seen as triggered by malafide intentions. In some cases, the woman eventually accepts the man’s original religious identity and converts after the man’s identity is revealed. These cases could be argued as cases of religious brainwashing and a result of the pressure a woman feels after getting into a relationship with a man. The woman, it can be argued, also changed her religious identity because of the stigma she believes she might face if she chooses to walk out of a deceptive relationship. However, for the purpose of documenting hate crimes, the cases in this subcategory are limited to those where there is explicit violence aimed at religious conversion against the wishes of the victim (force-feeding beef, blackmailing with intimate videos, rape on refusal to convert, etc), or if the woman herself complains of the man’s religious deception. In such cases, it is established that the deception of the non-Hindu man had a specific aim of religious conversion or targeting of the victim due to her Hindu religious identity, therefore, making it a religiously motivated hate crime.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 1
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
