Minor Hindu girl rescued after being lured away by Muslim youth in Ayodhya
Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India 
1 June, 2025
Case Summary
In the Raunahi police station area of Ayodhya, a 17-year-old Hindu girl was lured away from her home by a Muslim man named Shaan Mohammad. According to reports, the victim’s father contacted the police and filed a complaint stating that his daughter had been lured and taken away by an individual. The police promptly registered a case, initiated an investigation, successfully recovered the girl and arrested the accused, Shaan Mohammad. Inspector Sumit Kumar Srivastava, officer in charge of Raunahi police station, stated that the girl was sent for a medical examination to assess her health and gather other necessary information. He added that a case was registered against the accused under the relevant legal sections. The police emphasised that the matter is thoroughly investigated to ensure all facts are established. Lal Ji Sharma, district manager of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, said that, “We strongly oppose such incidents and demand that the administration take strict action. Bajrang Dal will continue to raise its voice against such acts.” The police said that further action will be determined based on the results of the medical examination and the minor girl’s statement. Inspector Srivastava assured that the investigation would be conducted transparently and that the perpetrator would be held accountable.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
In this case, a minor Hindu girl was lured away from her home by a Muslim man. This could potentially be a crime motivated by religious profiling, as it has been observed that in many cases, Muslim perpetrators target Hindu girls due to inherent animosity towards Hindus, particularly minor Hindu girls. It could be argued by some that for a Muslim perpetrator, a Muslim girl would likely be more accessible than a Hindu girl. The fact that the perpetrator specifically targeted the Hindu girl suggests religious profiling of the victim. However, it is equally possible that the crime was one of opportunity, where the Hindu girl was simply accessible to the Muslim perpetrator. It is also important to note here that the victim in this case is a minor, thus making any supposed "consent" from her side is legally invalid under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Nevertheless, these considerations remain speculative, as there is no conclusive evidence to demonstrate that this case was motivated by religious animosity. Furthermore, neither the victim nor her family has made any statements suggesting that the crime was religiously motivated. For this reason, the case has been added to the 'Undecided' database. If further information emerges indicating a religious motive behind the case, then the case will be reclassified and included in the Hate Crime database.
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 1
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
