Shoaib Khan becomes ‘Shubham’ to trap married Hindu woman, sexually abuses her before forcing her to convert to Islam
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India 
12 October, 2024
Case Summary
On, October 13th, Shoaib Khan, 24, was arrested by Uttarakhand Police for deceiving a Hindu woman by posing as a man named Shubham and attempting to convert her to Islam. Shoaib first met the woman, who was the wife of businessman Vishal Agarwal, at a gym. Using a fake social media profile, he approached her under the false identity of Shubham and tried to form a close relationship. Despite the woman’s refusal and her request for him to stop contacting her, Shoaib began threatening and sexually abusing her. He also pressured her to convert to Islam. The woman eventually shared the ordeal with her family, explaining how Shoaib had threatened her and assaulted her for not complying with his demands for conversion. Upon learning about the harassment, her husband, Vishal Agarwal, filed a police complaint. He stated that after confronting Shoaib, the accused not only threatened him but also assaulted him. Based on the complaint, the Uttarakhand Police immediately arrested Shoaib Khan and charged him under relevant legal sections.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added as a religiously motivated crime under one prime category of the tracker, which is- Hate crimes against women in relationships and sexual crimes. Under this, two sub-categories have been chosen based on the case details. The first 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 chosen under the above-mentioned prime category is- Assault or 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. Here, the accused assumed the false identity of a Hindu to deceive a Hindu woman. The act of assuming a false religious identity to deceive and manipulate someone into a relationship is inherently malicious. It undermines the victim's right to make informed decisions about their relationships, especially those that involve significant cultural and religious dimensions. The subsequent coercion to convert to Islam adds another layer of religious hate, as it attempts to strip the victim of her religious freedom and force her into a belief system against her will. This type of exploitation, particularly when it involves coercion, threats, assault and religious deception, highlights a profound disrespect for the victim's faith and autonomy. It is a deliberate and calculated attempt to exert control over her, using religion as a tool of manipulation and domination. Such actions are rooted in religious intolerance and are clear manifestations of religiously motivated hate.
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 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
