Sameer poses as Ashu to lure Hindu woman, rapes her on the pretext of marriage, then threatens her to convert to Islam

Case ID : 0b67342 | Location : Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 28 June, 2024

Case ID : 0b67342

Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India

28 June, 2024

Sameer poses as Ashu to lure Hindu woman, rapes her on the pretext of marriage, then threatens her to convert to Islam

Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes

Man pretends to be Hindu

Name Changed

Assault or threat upon refusal to convert

Case Summary

A 24-year-old Hindu woman from Ramakrishna Bagh Colony, who was living separately from her husband, reported being deceived by Sameer Khan, who posed as Ashu Patel, a Hindu. The victim met Sameer about in 2023 at the Light House Club, and they began talking on the phone. Sameer visited her home frequently and became close to her, promising marriage and establishing a physical relationship. However, Sameer eventually revealed his true identity as a Muslim and insisted that she convert to Islam before marriage. When the victim refused, he threatened her. On June 29, Sameer returned to her home and issued further threats. The victim reported the incident to officials of a Hindu organisation and subsequently filed a complaint with the police.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

Distinct elements in this particular case demonstrate that the crime was committed while harbouring a bias against the Hindu faith. As per case details, the prime category under which this case has been placed in the hate tracker is 'hate crime against woman in relationship'. Further, two sub-categories under this prime category have been chosen to break down the case. The first sub-category relevant in this case is, 'man pretends to be Hindu'. 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. The second sub-category under which this case has been placed is, 'assault and threat upon refusal to convert'. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman faces threats or assault after she refuses to convert and change her religious identity owing to pressure/force by the non-Hindu man. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu man known to the victim. Somewhere along the relationship, the non-Hindu man starts pressurizing the Hindu woman to convert to Islam and upon her refusal, assaults or threatens the victim. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. Cases where the Hindu woman converts to Islam and does not file a complaint about the force or threat, are not considered a part of the hate tracker, even though, it may be argued that the woman was brainwashed or threatened to convert to Islam. In this case, the Muslim perpetrator hid his religious identity to trap the Hindu woman. He then physically exploited her under the guise of marriage. Once the victim was completely entrapped, the accused revealed his true identity and began forcing her to convert to Islam. When the victim refused, he threatened her. Such actions are not random but are directed specifically at individuals because of their religious affiliation. Whenever a man deliberately hides his religious identity to deceive a woman from a different faith into a relationship he intends to exploit the woman based on her religious identity. This is a clear manifestation of bias and malicious intent towards the victim's religion. This targeted attack is a direct expression of hate and intolerance towards the victim's religion, hence this case has been classified as a religious hate crime.