Case Summary

A Hindu woman from the Scheduled Caste Valmiki community was subjected to sexual violence, forcibly converted to Islam, confined for years, and coerced into prostitution by a Muslim man named Mohammed Fahim, who posed as a Hindu. The victim was also pressured to undergo a nikah, forced to wear a burqa, consume beef, adopt Islamic practices, and was coerced into prostitution during her captivity. According to the complaint filed by the victim at Jamia Nagar Police Station in Delhi on 14 May 2026, the prime accused, Mohammed Fahim alias Fahim Langda, an illegal arms dealer from Meerut who was already lodged in jail in another criminal case, came into contact with the victim through Instagram in 2021. During this time, he concealed his religious identity and posed as a Hindu man named “Sahil” and to reinforce this false identity, he uploaded photographs of himself wearing Hindu religious symbols such as a rudraksha mala and kalawa, leading the victim to believe that he was Hindu. Over time, he emotionally manipulated the victim and gained her trust through regular conversations. In March 2022, Faheem called the victim to Delhi’s Batla House area. He ]persuaded her to visit the flat of his friend Ali, where she was given juice that made her intoxicated. After being given juice, she lost consciousness and was gangraped by Fahim and others present there. Following the assault, the accused recorded objectionable photographs and videos of her and used them to blackmail her and maintain control over her through threats and intimidation. She stated that she was repeatedly threatened that the material would be made public if she refused to meet Faheem whenever he summoned her. In May 2022, Fahim again called the victim to Delhi before taking her by bus to his ancestral home in Sathla village in Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh. It was there that she discovered that “Sahil” was actually Mohammed Fahim and that she had been brought into a Muslim household. Shortly after arriving, she was again drugged, and when she regained consciousness, she realised that Fahim’s father, Khurshid, had sexually assaulted her. Thereafter, she was kept under constant surveillance, threatened with death if she attempted to flee, and isolated from her family. The victim further stated that the house functioned as a centre for illegal arms trading and that firearms were frequently used to threaten and intimidate her. During this time, Faheem and his father, Khurshid, sexually assaulted her, while other family members prevented her from leaving or contacting her relatives. Under coercion, she was forced to call her mother and falsely state that she had willingly married Faheem through a court marriage, leading her family to stop searching for her. On 27 May 2022, Fahim took the victim to a madrassa in Agwanpur village run by his maternal uncle, Hafiz Manzoor, where she was compelled to recite the Kalma and was renamed and given a Muslim name, “Aisha”. The victim stated that she was assaulted whenever she resisted conversion rituals or objected to Islamic practices imposed upon her. She was forced to wear a burqa and offer namaz. She stated that she was compelled to cook beef and consume it against her wishes. She further revealed that members of the family slaughtered a chicken in front of her and poured its blood on her as part of the coercive environment she was subjected to. Fahim justified the targeting and conversion of a Hindu woman by stating that his uncle had told him that since he could not perform Hajj due to his criminal record, converting a Hindu woman through a “love trap” would earn him “Jannat” or "Sawab". The victim also stated that members of the household glorified the conversion of a “kaafir” woman and used religious reasoning to legitimise the abuse inflicted upon her. The abuse intensified further after the victim became pregnant in July 2022. Fahim refused to permit an abortion, stating that children were “Allah’s gift”. After she gave birth to a daughter, Fahim’s brother Azeem threatened to throw the infant from the rooftop unless she submitted to his sexual demands. Traumatised by the continuous abuse, the victim attempted suicide by consuming pesticide but survived after medical treatment. Following her recovery, the accused family forced her into prostitution and sent men into her room for sexual exploitation. When she resisted, a Maulvi identified as Nafees was brought in to pressure her into compliance, and he informed her that the men visiting her were her “clients”. Payments received from the men were reportedly collected by her mother-in-law, Tasleem. The victim further stated that there were other Hindu girls in the village who had been brought there under similar circumstances. According to her, local villagers were aware of her situation but advised her to accept the wishes of the accused family rather than helping her escape. As police scrutinised Fahim’s illegal arms activities in Meerut, the family shifted to Batla House in Delhi in November 2024. In January 2025, Fahim was arrested by the Delhi Police Mehrauli Special Staff and was later re-arrested by Gurugram Police in another criminal matter, during which his mobile phone was seized. The victim used this period of confusion to escape from the house and return to her parents. However, even after her escape, she continued to receive threats from Fahim while he was in jail. On 12 May 2026, she received another threatening phone call, following which she approached legal assistance and sought help from the organisations Save India Foundation and Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation. With their support, she formally lodged her complaint on 14 May 2026 before the police. Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR against Mohammed Fahim alias Fahim Langda, Khurshid, Zaid, Azeem, Tasleem, and Nafis under provisions related to kidnapping, rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, trafficking, and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The victim also recorded her statement before a magistrate and was placed under protection while the investigation proceeded. During the investigation, police arrested five individuals, including Faheem, his father Khurshid, mother Tasleem, brother Zaid, and a cleric. Another brother and Faheem’s sister were reported to be absconding at the time of reporting. The victim's statement was recorded, and the investigation remains ongoing under the supervision of the Delhi Police.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Within the sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu. The tertiary category selected is- Name Changed and Wears Symbols of Hinduism. 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 malicious 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 sub-category 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. The other sub-category selected is - Forced conversion before marriage, with the tertiary category being - Forced to wear hijab and Forced to follow non-Hindu religious practices. 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. The other sub-category selected 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. The other sub-category selected 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. This case has been added to the tracker because a Hindu woman from the Scheduled Caste Valmiki community was subjected to sexual violence, forced religious conversion, prolonged confinement, and sexual exploitation by a Muslim man who concealed his identity and targeted her under false pretences. The case reflected a pattern of religious targeting, coercion, and systematic efforts to erase the victim’s Hindu identity through intimidation, abuse, and forced imposition of Islamic practices. Firstly, the accused deliberately concealed his religious identity to initiate and sustain a relationship with a Hindu woman. This itself is a clear manifestation of bias and malicious intent towards the victim's religion. By concealing his true identity, he exploited her trust, targeting her under false pretences. This indicates a premeditated intent to manipulate her based on her religious background. In cases like these, the tactic of adopting a false Hindu identity to manipulate and "ensnare" a Hindu individual is not just an act of personal betrayal but can also be interpreted as an expression of disdain or disregard for Hinduism and its customs that reflects a deeper animosity towards Hindus and their beliefs. In such instances, identity concealment is not merely a personal deception but a calculated strategy rooted in religious targeting and profiling. The accused was aware that the victim, being Hindu, may not have consented to the relationship had she known his real identity from the outset. He therefore circumvented her ability to exercise informed choice by deliberately lying about his name and religious background. This demonstrated a premeditated effort to exploit the victim specifically on the basis of her religious identity. Secondly, the victim was subjected to sexual violence, blackmail, confinement, and coercive control after obscene videos and photographs were used against her. These exploitations were not random acts of crime; rather, they functioned as religiously motivated tools aimed at humiliating and dominating a Hindu woman because of her faith. The target was not the victim as an individual, but her Hindu identity. The specific focus on her Hindu identity in the commission of these acts highlights the religious hatred underlying the crime, making it a religiously motivated offence Thirdly, the accused attempted to force the Hindu victim to renounce her religion and convert to Islam. Pressuring a Hindu individual to discard her religious faith and embrace another was a direct attack on her religious identity and dignity. It was not a matter of personal choice; it was coercion rooted in hostility towards the victim's Hindu identity. Such an attempt reflects religious animosity because the act was not simply about personal differences but about erasing the victim’s Hindu faith. Fourth, the accused took her to a madrassa run by his maternal uncle, Hafiz Manzoor, where she was compelled to recite the Kalma, perform namaz and was renamed and given a Muslim name, “Aisha”. This highlights that the accused had a deep level of animosity and disdain for the victim's Hindu faith. This level of animosity stems from Islamic theology, which commands all Muslims to overtly or covertly convert non-Muslims to Islam, in this case, Hindus. These practices were imposed not as voluntary expressions of belief but as tools designed to alienate her gradually from her Hindu roots and to strip away her original faith entirely. This methodical imposition of Islamic rituals constitutes a severe infringement on the victim’s religious freedom and highlights the religiously motivated nature of this crime. The forced performance of religious rituals functioned as a form of psychological and spiritual pressure. Being compelled to participate in practices alien to her faith signalled an attempt to subordinate her existing beliefs and reshape her identity. It was done to normalise Islamic customs for her, so as to make her more susceptible to conversion. Fifth, even her name was changed to Aisha, essentially a Muslim name. The change of name and enforced adoption of a new religious identity carried symbolic significance. It reflected an attempt to erase the victim’s prior Hindu identity and replace it with one imposed under coercion. It was a symbolic assertion of Islamic identity over her previous Hindu identity. Sixth, often in such cases, sexual violence, forced captivity, and blackmail serve a dual purpose: physical subjugation and religious humiliation. The intention was to break the victim down, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, so that she could be converted. This was not random violence; it was systematic, targeted, and rooted in religious animosity. Seventh, she was also force-fed cow meat, which again was not just about food; it was a direct step toward conversion. This wasn't random but deliberate. Forcing a Hindu to eat cow meat is a direct assault on Hindu faith and identity. Compelling a Hindu to consume cow meat is not a neutral act; it is a deliberate act of humiliation and spiritual violation. It is used as a tool of religious domination intended to break the victim’s connection to their faith. Moreover, Hindu dharma prescribes dietary disciplines as a part of spiritual practice. Many Hindus follow a vegetarian diet as a sacred vow. Forcing a Hindu to consume meat violates not just personal conscience but deeply held dharma vows, and such coercion constitutes an assault on religious freedom and dignity. Eighth, Fahim justified the targeting and conversion of a Hindu woman by claiming that his uncle had told him that converting a Hindu woman through a “love trap” would earn him “Jannat” or "Sawab". Such claims, where the accused described the conversion of a Hindu woman as sawab (a meritorious act), fall squarely within the definition of incitement to hatred and dehumanisation on religious grounds. By openly stating that such acts were virtuous in his religious view, he not only justified horrific violence against a Hindu community but also spread the dangerous idea that converting or assaulting women of a Hindu faith is an acceptable, even commendable, religious act. This is not only hate speech but also glorification of communal violence under the guise of religious duty. Such speech denies the individual dignity and safety of Hindu women and mocks the community’s suffering, reducing religious identity to a justification for abuse. The use of religious terminology to endorse crimes also attempts to lend moral authority to acts of violence, thereby spreading communal hatred. Furthermore, the victim was forcibly pushed into prostitution and subjected to repeated sexual exploitation by multiple individuals while being held under coercive control by the accused and his family. Men were regularly sent into her room against her wishes, and when she resisted, she was threatened, intimidated, and pressured into compliance. The systematic nature of the exploitation demonstrated that the abuse was not isolated or incidental, but part of a sustained process of domination, degradation, and dehumanisation directed at the victim, because of her Hindu identity. The victim’s Hindu identity remained central throughout the abuse. Such acts reflected deep-seated hostility towards the victim’s religious identity and constituted a targeted assault on her dignity, autonomy, and faith. Such actions stem from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert. Such acts were not merely personal crimes; they were rooted in a desire to dominate and erase the religious identity of the victim. Since such predatory actions stem from doctrinal animosity towards the Hindu faith and its adherents, this case is being documented as a religiously motivated hate crime. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of the incident based on when the crime occurred. The media reports published this case on 16 May 2026. However, the media reports do not specify the exact date of the beginning of the victim’s ordeal. The victim came in contact with the accused in 2021, and on 14 May 2026, the victim filed a complaint with the police. Considering these two pieces of information, we are using an indicative date of 14 May 2021 as the date of the incident. This date is used for documentation purposes only and represents the estimated beginning of her ordeal.