Hindu college girl deceived by Muslim man pretending to be Hindu
Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, India 
14 January, 2025
Case Summary
Shahid posed as Ankit to befriend a Hindu girl in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district. He contacted the girl, a final-year BSc student from Shahjahanpur, after obtaining her phone number through a friend. Over time, their conversations increased, and Shahid invited her to meet him at Belatali Park. On the agreed day, the girl arrived at the park wearing a tilak on her forehead, while Shahid, with his beard grown, drew attention. Suspicious of their interaction, people in the park, including members of Bajrang Dal, questioned them. During the interrogation, Shahid's real identity as Mohammad Shahid was revealed. He apologized on the spot when confronted. The incident caused a commotion, prompting someone to alert the police. Authorities detained both Shahid and the girl. The girl was later handed over to her family, while the police initiated action against Shahid.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the Hinduphobia tracker under the prime category of- Crimes against Hindu women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu. Further, a tertiary category- Name changed, has also been chosen here. 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. Here, the Muslim perpetrator pretended to be a Hindu to befriend the Hindu victim. The act of assuming a false religious identity to deceive and manipulate someone into a relationship is inherently malicious. It undermines the victim's right to make informed decisions about their relationships, especially those that involve significant cultural and religious dimensions. This type of exploitation, particularly when it involves religious deception, highlights a profound disrespect for the victim's faith and autonomy. It is a deliberate and calculated attempt to exert control over her, using religion as a tool of manipulation and domination. The fact that the Muslim accused concealed his religious identity and pretended to be Hindu to deceive and exploit the Hindu girl constitutes a key religious marker in this incident, identifying it as a religiously motivated hate crime against the Hindu woman. Consequently, this case has been added to the tracker.
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 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 1
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
