Hindu woman lured, sexually exploited, pressured to convert to Islam, and wear hijab by Muslim man posing as Hindu in Indore
Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India 
18 April, 2024
Case Summary
In Indore, Madhya Pradesh, a Hindu female student was lured into a relationship, drugged, sexually exploited and forced to convert to Islam by a Muslim man who was pretending to be a Hindu. The victim was subjected to sustained abuse and harassment and was forced to recite Kalma (the Islamic declaration of faith) and wear a hijab. This situation continued for several months before she sought help from the authorities. According to media reports, around mid‑2024, the 19‑year‑old Hindu woman, originally from Chhindwara, was living in Indore for her studies at a private college. There, she met a Muslim man in Scheme Number 78 who introduced himself as Rahul. He initiated contact, built communication and proposed marriage, gaining her trust under a false Hindu identity. Over time, he strengthened the relationship through regular interaction and emotional influence. In June 2025, he called the Hindu woman to his residence in Indore when his family members were not present. He isolated the Hindu woman from any support and engaged in sexual relations with her under the pretext of marriage. During this period, he recorded objectionable photographs and videos of her without her consent. He continued to draw the Hindu woman into situations where she was left vulnerable. On one occasion, he took her out on the pretext of an outing and administered intoxicating substances. While she was under the influence, he took her to a residence in the Khajrana area and again engaged in sexual relations with her without her consent. He recorded further visual material during these encounters to maintain control over her. After establishing control, he disclosed his real identity as Abdul Aziz Pathan. He informed the Hindu woman that marriage would only be possible if she converted to Islam. He began to impose conditions on her, including asking her to recite Kalma, wear a hijab, and participate in religious practices. When the Hindu woman resisted, he escalated threats. He warned that he would release the recorded videos and images publicly. He used these threats to continue forcing her into repeated sexual acts and to maintain pressure for religious conversion. The Hindu woman remained under sustained coercion and harassment. During the course of this abuse, the victim became pregnant in September 2025. When she raised the issue of marriage, he reiterated that he would only marry her after she converted to Islam. He continued to threaten exposure of her images and videos to force compliance. He maintained control through repeated intimidation and continued sexual exploitation over an extended period. Under sustained distress, the Hindu woman left Indore and returned to Chhindwara. She informed her family about the sequence of events and the coercion she had faced. After this, she returned to Indore, accompanied by members of a Hindu organisation, and proceeded to the police station to file a formal complaint. A written complaint was filed at the Khajrana police station in Indore. A formal First Information Report was registered against the Muslim man, Abdul Aziz Pathan, on charges of rape and religious conversion‑related offences. He was taken into custody. At the time of writing this report, the investigation remained ongoing.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category - Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Within this, the subcategory selected is - Man pretends to be Hindu. Under this, the tertiary categories selected is - Name changed and Raped and/or murdered after Hindu woman finds out real identity. 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 other subcategory selected is - Brainwashed and/or groomed. Under this, the tertiary categories selected are - Rape and sexual assault/harassment. In our database, we have not added incidents where women have converted to another religion of their free will and no allegations of forced/involuntary conversion have been made. However, there are certain cases of conversion where the consent itself is a result of the brainwashing or grooming of a minor by the non-Hindu perpetrator trying to victimise a woman for her Hindu religious identity. The phenomenon of grooming points to non-Hindu perpetrators identifying their Hindu victims’ vulnerabilities and exploiting them over months and sometimes years, to extract the supposed ‘consent’ in order to convert their religion. In most cases of grooming, the victims are minors or the grooming started when the victim was a minor. In other cases of grooming, the non-Hindu perpetrator brainwashes and grooms a minor victim to extract their trust and then proceeds to rape them repeatedly with the intent of converting them to their faith. It is pertinent to understand here that when the victim is a minor, the ‘consent’ to convert or enter into a romantic relationship with an adult itself is redundant – addressed by POCSO. While every case of conversion of a minor and incidents of establishing a physical relationship with a minor by an adult is a crime, for the purpose of this database, a case would be considered a hate crime only if there is a distinct religious angle to the grooming. For example, in the UK, if a Hindu minor is targeted by Pakistani grooming gangs, it would be considered a hate crime because the victims are specifically targeted owing to their non-Muslim religious identity with the perpetrators being Muslim. In other cases, if a Hindu minor is brainwashed into entering a physical relationship with the non-Hindu adult perpetrator and the family alleges grooming/brainwashing of the minor to convert her religion, it would form a part of this database. If the victim is a Hindu adult, the case would form a part of this database only if the victim herself says that she was brainwashed/groomed to convert her religion. However, if the victim is deceased (murdered or otherwise), the case would form a part of this database if her family/friends provided testimony that the victim was brainwashed/groomed to convert her religion. Since these crimes have a distinct religious angle where the victim is being targeted owing to her Hindu religious identity, these cases are considered a hate crime. Another sub-category selected for this case is - Forced conversion before marriage. Under this, the tertiary categories selected is - Forced to follow non-Hindu religious practices, and Forced to wear Hijab. In such cases, a non-Hindu man is in a relationship with a Hindu woman when the pressure to convert her religion begins to manifest. In such cases, typically, two patterns emerge. First, when the relationship is consensual, and the religious identity of the perpetrator is known to the Hindu woman in the relationship, however, at some point during the relationship, the non-Hindu man starts to force the victim to convert her religion and give up her Hindu religious identity. The second is when the woman gets into a marriage with the man pretending to share her faith. Later, when the truth is revealed, the man starts pressuring the woman to convert her religion and give up her religious identity. In both the situations, the methods used to force the victim to convert her religion often revolve around force-feeding beef, forcing her to wear hijab, forcing her to read the Kalma or even pressurizing the victim to do ‘Nikah’, which is marriage under Islamic law, with a prerequisite being conversion to Islam. Cases where a Hindu woman consensually converts to Islam in a relationship will be left out of the hate crime database, even though it could be argued in several cases that the conversion was a result of religious brainwashing. Another sub-category selected for this case 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. Another sub-category selected for this case is - Rape for refusal to convert. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman faces pressure/threats/violence to convert and change her religious identity 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 pressuring the Hindu woman to convert. In some of these cases, the association could be non-consensual as well or, the religious identity of the non-Muslim man could be previously unknown to the Hindu victim. As the case may be, in such cases, the non-Hindu man forces himself sexually on the Hindu woman when she refuses his advances and pressures to convert her religion. The rape of the woman is often seen as either a punishment for the woman refusing to convert. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. Another sub-category selected for this case is - Blackmailed to convert. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman is blackmailed to convert her religion, owing to her religious identity of being a Hindu. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu man known to the victim, however, there could be cases where the relationship is not consensual and the non-Hindu man starts blackmailing a Hindu woman to convert her religion. In these cases, it is often seen that the Hindu woman is blackmailed with intimate photos and/or videos, threats of harm to her or her family, threats of violence etc. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. This case qualified as a religiously motivated hate crime because a Muslim man deliberately deceived and targeted a Hindu woman for sexual exploitation and forced religious conversion. He used a false Hindu identity to gain her trust and then subjected her to repeated abuse, coercion, and threats. The violence was not isolated to sexual assault but was directly tied to sustained pressure to change her religion. Religion was central to both the method of targeting and the continued harm inflicted on the Hindu woman, making this case a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime. Firstly, the accused’s act of deception by posing as a Hindu reveals a clear bias and malicious intent towards the victim’s religion. By concealing his true religious identity, he manipulated the Hindu woman’s trust and approached her under false pretences, indicating a premeditated effort to exploit her on the basis of her religious background. This constituted a serious violation of her right to informed consent regarding the person she was entering a relationship with, as well as an infringement of her religious beliefs. Thus, the perpetrator’s deliberate concealment of his religious identity strongly underscores the religious motive behind this crime. In such cases, hiding one’s identity is not merely a personal deception but a calculated strategy rooted in religious profiling and targeting. The accused knew that the Hindu woman would likely reject his advances if she had been aware of his real identity, and he deliberately circumvented this by lying, a course of action that points directly to a religio‑specific intent. This pattern reflects growing concerns where Hindu women are specifically targeted through fabricated identities by Muslim men, often with coercion or forced religious conversion in mind. Such targeted victimisation based on religion not only demonstrates a profound disregard for the Hindu victims' autonomy but also exposes a deeper hostility toward Hindus and their religious identity. Secondly, through deliberate deception, the Hindu woman was sexually exploited by the Muslim perpetrator under the false pretext of marrying her. He cultivated a relationship by posing as a Hindu, promising marriage, and gaining her trust before isolating her and engaging in sexual relations without her genuine, informed consent. This was not a random or isolated act of sexual exploitation; it was a targeted assault shaped by religious bias, aimed at singling out and violating a Hindu woman precisely because of her religious identity. The perpetrator’s use of a fabricated Hindu identity, followed by coercion and the threat of exposing intimate images, shows that the sexual exploitation was intertwined with religious manipulation and humiliation. Such acts of exploitation through calculated deception and religious profiling clearly underline the religiously motivated nature of this crime. Thirdly, the Muslim man continued sexual exploitation even after the Hindu woman discovered his real identity. He subjected her to repeated rape while maintaining control through intimidation and coercion. For a Hindu woman, continuing such acts after deception adds a layer of violation tied to identity and trust. He did not stop after disclosure. He escalated control and continued the abuse, ensuring that the Hindu woman remained trapped despite knowing the truth. This showed that the perpetrator was not motivated by a relationship but by sustained religious domination and exploitation. The continuation of sexual violence after identity disclosure revealed intent to overpower a Hindu woman even after her awareness, reinforcing that her consent and identity were irrelevant to him. This showcases that the perpetrator didn't see the victim as a partner but merely as a sexual object and something to be conquered, all motivated by anti-Hindu animosity. Fourth, the Muslim man systematically pressured the Hindu woman to convert to Islam on the explicit condition that he would only marry her if she abandoned her Hindu faith. By tying marriage, a relationship that should be based on mutual respect and equality, to religious surrender, he turned the most intimate bond into an instrument of religious coercion. This demand was not incidental; it was central to his agenda, revealing an intent to strip the victim of her religious identity and subordinate her to Islam. From the outset, he targeted her by fabricating a Hindu identity, gained her trust, and then sexually exploited her multiple times, using the threat of exposing intimate images as leverage. All these acts were orchestrated to create a position of complete vulnerability so that when he finally demanded conversion, she would have little choice but to comply. Such a forced religious conversion attempt is a grave violation of the victim’s religious autonomy and fundamental rights to freely practice her faith. It denies her the right to choose, retain or change her faith without compulsion, and openly disrespects the core tenets of Hinduism. By treating her Hindu belief as something inferior that had to be erased and replaced, the perpetrator demonstrated not only contempt for her as an individual but also for Hinduism itself, viewing it not as a legitimate faith but as an obstacle to be conquered. This pattern of targeting, manipulation, coercion and conversion reveals a religiously motivated hate crime, rooted in hostility toward Hindu women and their religious identity. Fifth, the accused imposed Islamic customs on the Hindu woman, aimed at fully severing her from her Hindu faith and identity. He compelled her to recite the Kalma, the Islamic declaration of faith, and to wear the hijab, acts that carry deep religious and symbolic significance within Islam. These were not suggested as personal choices but enforced as conditions of his continued association with her, turning religious practice into a tool of control and domination. By insisting that she outwardly conform to Islamic rituals and appearance, he sought to erase the visible and internal markers of her Hindu identity and to replace them with a foreign religious framework. This religious imposition was not partial or superficial; it was deliberate and all‑encompassing, designed to leave no aspect of her life untouched by his ideological agenda. The perpetrator’s insistence on such practices exposes a zealous religious agenda, where the victim’s body, choices and beliefs were treated as arenas for advancing his own faith at her expense. By forcing her to adopt Islamic customs while devaluing her original faith, he demonstrated a belief that Hinduism was subordinate and deserved to be replaced. This systematic effort to supplant one religion with another, through coercion and psychological pressure, constitutes a religiously driven hate crime. Sixth, when the Hindu woman refused to convert to Islam, the Muslim man immediately resorted to threats and blackmail, revealing the religious animosity that underpinned his actions. He threatened to expose her explicit photos and videos to her family, community and the public, using the fear of social shame and dishonour as a lever to force her into submission. He also issued direct threats to her safety, making it clear that her refusal would carry severe consequences. By using blackmail and intimidation specifically to compel religious conversion, he showed a deep‑seated conviction that Hinduism must be erased and replaced by Islam. This willingness to exploit her dignity and reputation to break her faith demonstrates a zealous hostility toward her religion and identity, elevating the crime beyond personal violation into a targeted hate attack rooted in religious hatred. Even after the victim learned the Muslim man’s true religious identity and steadfastly refused to convert, he subjected her to multiple rapes, exposing the hate‑driven nature of his violence. Each rape that followed her refusal functioned not merely as sexual assault but as punishment for upholding her Hindu faith. The perpetrator used sexual violence to break her spirit, humiliate her further for clinging to her religious identity and force her into psychological submission. By raping her after she rejected conversion, he sent the message that her resistance would be met with escalating brutality until her faith and autonomy were obliterated. This pattern of using sexual violence as retribution for religious refusal reveals a clear intent to dominate, degrade and convert a Hindu woman by force, marking the entire course of conduct as a grave, religiously motivated hate crime. Given that this case met the parameters of a religiously motivated hate crime, it was added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia tracker records incident dates based on when the victim's ordeal begins, not when it is reported in the media. In this case, media reports do not specify the exact date on which the victim’s ordeal began. They mention that she met the accused around 2024, but no precise date is given. The media reported this incident on April 19, 2026. Based on these details, an indicative incident date of April 19, 2024, has been selected for documentation purposes only.
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 
