Hindu woman in Dehradun targeted through identity deception, sexual exploitation and threats by Muslim men who pretended to be Hindu

Case ID : 30a9a0e | Location : Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India | Date of Incident : Mon, 27 July, 2026

Case ID : 30a9a0e

Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

27 July, 2026

Hindu woman in Dehradun targeted through identity deception, sexual exploitation and threats by Muslim men who pretended to be Hindu

Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes

Man pretends to be Hindu

Name Changed

Case Summary

In Dehradun, Uttarakhand, a Hindu girl was targeted after a Muslim man named Mohammad Shaan concealed his identity and introduced himself as “Vikas” to establish a relationship with her. Shaan, a resident of Bijnor who was working in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand as a welder labourer, continued his association with the girl until she discovered his real identity and stopped communicating with him. Following this, Shaan sexually assaulted her, recorded the act, and used the recordings to threaten and intimidate her. The video testimony stated that Mohammad Shaan and his brother Mohammad Shadab subjected the Hindu girl to physical assault and harassment for around five months. The accused kept videos of the victim and threatened her with their misuse, causing fear and preventing her from seeking immediate help. The victim remained silent under pressure and fear of further harm. Members of Bajrang Dal intervened after learning about the matter, located the accused persons, and handed them over to the police. In the video, the victim expressed gratitude towards the members of the Hindu outfit who supported her and helped her seek justice. The speakers stated that Bajrang Dal workers stood with the Hindu girl during the medical examination process and police proceedings, ensuring that she received assistance.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category for this case is: Crime against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. The subcategory for this case is: Man pretends to be Hindu. The tertiary category for this case is: Name Changed. 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 mala fide 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 religious motive in this case is evident from the fact that the Muslim perpetrator concealed his real identity and posed as a Hindu by introducing himself as “Vikas” to gain the trust of the Hindu victim. Had religion been irrelevant to the offence, there would have been no reason for him to misrepresent his faith. The deception succeeded because he understood that presenting himself as a Hindu would make the victim more comfortable and more likely to trust him. This establishes that the victim's Hindu identity was not incidental but one of the factors that enabled the crime. The perpetrator did not merely fabricate personal details. He deliberately adopted a false Hindu identity as a means to access, manipulate, and exploit the victim. By weaponising a Hindu identity for personal gain, he demonstrated a conscious understanding that the victim's religious identity and the trust associated with it had to be circumvented through deception. Such conduct reflects a disregard for the victim's faith and her right to make informed choices based on truthful information. It reduces Hindu identity to a convenient disguise that can be assumed to overcome religious boundaries and exploit the trust that exists within the community. The aggravating circumstances are further strengthened by the fact that the perpetrator used intimate videos and threats to control the Hindu victim after the deception was exposed. The victim was subjected to sexual violence, intimidation, and prolonged harassment, which created a situation of fear and coercion. By targeting a Hindu woman through religious identity fraud and then exploiting her through threats and abuse, the perpetrator exploited both her trust and her religious identity, making her especially vulnerable to manipulation and harm. 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, and this is why this case has been added here. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date on which the incident occurred rather than the date on which it was reported or uploaded on social media. In this case, the exact date on which the incident involving the deception of a Hindu girl took place could not be independently verified. The available information does not specify the precise date of the incident. The video documenting the incident and the statements related to the matter were uploaded and circulated on social media on 28 July 2026. Accordingly, due to the uncertainty regarding the exact date of occurrence, the Tracker has recorded 28 July 2026 as the incident date for documentation purposes, based on the date on which the incident came to public attention through social media.