Mohd Sahil poses as Amit to deceive and blackmail a Hindu girls, had multiple accounts under Hindu names which he used to target his prey
Srinagar, Uttarakhand, India 
13 August, 2024
Case Summary
Mohammad Sahil, a salon owner in Srinagar Garhwal, was arrested for posing as a Hindu named Amit Rawat on Facebook to harass Hindu girls. Sahil, who runs a salon near a polytechnic college, used this false identity to pressure Hindu girls into engaging with him. The deception was uncovered when BJP leader Lakhpat Singh visited Sahil’s salon and discovered multiple fake Facebook accounts on Sahil's phone. Singh confronted Sahil, who initially denied the accusations but was eventually found to have several accounts under Hindu names. Sahil was accused of using these accounts to blackmail and deceive Hindu girls. Singh reported Sahil to the authorities, leading to his arrest. Sahil has since been released on bail, and the investigation into his activities continues.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been placed under the prime category- Hate crime against women in relationships and sexual crimes of the hate tracker. Further, as per case details, the sub-category under the abovementioned category that has been selected here is- Man pretends to be Hindu. Further, two tertiary categories have also been chosen here which are- Name changed and Pattern of targeting Hindu women. 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. In this case, the Muslim perpetrator hid his religious identity to trap the Hindu woman. This is a clear manifestation of bias and malicious intent towards the victim's religion. Such actions are not random but are directed specifically at individuals because of their religious affiliation. Further, it is apparent from the details of the case that the Muslim perpetrator created multiple accounts on Facebook under Hindu names which he used to specifically target Hindu girls. He first gained their trust and then blackmailed them. When religious profiling of victims is involved, it is evident that the perpetrator was targeting these minors/women owing to their religious identity and because of his prejudice and animosity towards Hindus. Therefore, this is being added as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
