Rickshaw driver Zubair poses as Raj to befriend and rape Hindu girl, threatens her with death once his identity is revealed
Navsari, Gujarat, India 
6 October, 2024
Case Summary
In Navsari, Gujarat, a rickshaw driver named Zubair Shabbir Khalifa was arrested for deceiving a Hindu girl by posing as "Raj," a Hindu, and later raping her. Zubair, originally from Adada village, worked as a rickshaw driver and regularly saw the victim along his route. He began offering her rides, gradually gaining her trust by lying about his identity, claiming to be a wealthy man with 20 luxury rickshaws, spending six months in Dubai each year. The girl, believing him to be "Raj," eventually accepted his marriage proposal, and began having sexual relations. When Zubair’s real identity was exposed, the girl attempted to break off the relationship, but he became aggressive, threatening her and demanding continued physical relations. He even threatened to kill her if she did not comply. Terrified, the girl approached the police, who took swift action, arresting Zubair and parading him through the streets of Navsari to deter others from similar crimes. The police reconstructed the entire series of events based on the victim’s complaint. Zubair’s deception, his false claims of wealth, and his coercive behavior were confirmed by authorities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Hate crimes against women in relationships and sexual crimes. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu. Further, as per case details, two tertiary categories namely, 'Name changed' and 'Raped after Hindu women find out real identity', have also been selected. 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 religious motive of the crime is evident from the fact that the Muslim perpetrator hid his true identity to trap the Hindu victim. 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. Further, the religious angle of the crime became more apparent when the Muslim man continued to take advantage of her physically under the guise of marriage. Finally, when the accused's real identity was revealed to the victim, he started threatening her and demanding continued physical relations. He even threatened to kill her if she did not comply. This case has been documented in the hate tracker as every detail points towards the fact that the perpetrator wanted to target the victim because of her religious identity specifically and that his motivation was driven by religious 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 
