Dalit woman trapped after Muslim man pretends to be Hindu; raped on the pretext of marriage then threatened with death

Case ID : 5954843 | Location : Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 21 September, 2024

Case ID : 5954843

Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India

21 September, 2024

Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes

Man pretends to be Hindu

Name Changed

Case Summary

A Muslim man named Mohammad Hussain was arrested for deceiving and exploiting a Dalit woman under the false identity of "Rahul." The incident came to light when the victim, a 37-year-old woman, filed an FIR at the Lordganj police station after being deceived and threatened by the accused. According to the complaint, Hussain created a fake profile on a matrimonial website under the name Rahul and began communicating with the victim approximately one and a half years prior. Their online interactions eventually led to a friendship and plans for marriage. The two first met in person at a restaurant, where they mutually agreed to marry. The victim trusted Hussain, believing his name to be Rahul. On September 22, 2024, he called her to a hotel under the pretext of a meeting, where he sexually exploited her. Afterwards, he refused to fulfil his promise of marriage and threatened her with death when she tried to confront him. The victim later discovered that Rahul was actually Mohammad Hussain, leading her to approach the police. Following the victim's complaint, the police arrested Hussain and charged him under the SC/ST Act and other sections like rape. Investigators are also probing the matrimonial website where Hussain created the false profile, issuing a notice to the platform. Additionally, the police are investigating whether Hussain has exploited other women using similar tactics.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added as a religiously motivated hate crime under the prime category- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes, of the tracker. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu. Further, based on case details, the tertiary category selected here 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 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. In this instance, the Muslim perpetrator concealed his religious identity to deceive and trap the Hindu woman, demonstrating clear bias and malicious intent toward her religion. This act of deception severely compromises the woman’s ability to make informed decisions regarding her relationship and religious choices. Further, he sexually exploited her on the pretext of marriage and later threatened her with death when she asked him to fulfil his promise. Such actions are not random but are directed specifically at individuals because of their religious affiliation. This targeted violence is a direct expression of hate and intolerance towards the victim's religion, hence this case has been classified as a religious hate crime.