Hindu woman deceived into relationship by Muslim man posing as Hindu, forcibly converted to Islam and married in Nikah ceremony

Case ID : 99581c8 | Location : Delhi, Delhi, India | Date of Incident : Mon, 31 July, 2023

Case ID : 99581c8

Delhi, Delhi, India

31 July, 2023

Hindu woman deceived into relationship by Muslim man posing as Hindu, forcibly converted to Islam and married in Nikah ceremony

Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes

Man pretends to be Hindu

Name Changed

Forced conversion before marriage

Forced to do Nikah

Case Summary

A Hindu woman from Delhi was lured into a relationship by a Muslim man named Irshad. The accused had deceived the woman by pretending to be a Hindu man named Rahul. He subsequently forced her to convert to Islam and married her in a Nikah ceremony, an Islamic marriage ritual. According to media reports, the Hindu woman, originally from the Hastinapur area, lived with her sister in Laxmi Nagar, Delhi, and ran a beauty parlour. Around two years ago, Irshad Pathan from Sardhana initiated contact with her on Instagram, using the false identity of Rahul. He gradually drew her into a relationship and later took her to Deoband, where he forcibly converted her to Islam and carried out a Nikah with her in 2024. After the conversion, he changed her name to Farheen, and the two lived together in Delhi. The incident came to light on 1st August 2025, when both the accused and the victim travelled to Mussoorie. While returning on the night of 4th August 2025, Irshad demanded money from Farheen. When she refused, Irshad stopped the car near the Sakauti flyover on the highway and assaulted her. This led to a commotion, and it drew the attention of members of the VHP and Bajrang Dal, both Hindu organisations. Hindu activists, namely Chandrapal Rajput, Vivek, Shekhar Pandit, and Akhil Mudgal, intervened, but Irshad managed to escape with the car. Subsequently, the woman was taken to Daurala police station, where she recounted the incident to the police. She informed the police that the car in Irshad’s possession had been purchased for him on instalments. The accused had again been demanding money from her. Following this, members of the Hindu organisations demanded that a case be registered against Irshad for forced religious conversion and also urged the victim to file a formal complaint against him. Subsequently, the police began interrogating the victim Hindu woman.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Crime against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu. The tertiary category selected 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. The other subcategory selected is- Forced conversion before marriage. The tertiary category selected is- Forced to do Nikah. In such cases, a non-Hindu man is in a relationship with a Hindu woman when the pressure to convert her religion begins to manifest. In such cases, typically, two patterns emerge. First, when the relationship is consensual, and the religious identity of the perpetrator is known to the Hindu woman in the relationship, however, at some point during the relationship, the non-Hindu man starts to force the victim to convert her religion and give up her Hindu religious identity. The second is when the woman gets into a marriage with the man pretending to share her faith. Later, when the truth is revealed, the man starts pressuring the woman to convert her religion and give up her religious identity. In both the situations, the methods used to force the victim to convert her religion often revolve around force-feeding beef, forcing her to wear hijab, forcing her to read the Kalma or even pressurizing the victim to do ‘Nikah’, which is marriage under Islamic law, with a prerequisite being conversion to Islam. Cases where a Hindu woman consensually converts to Islam in a relationship will be left out of the hate crime database, even though it could be argued in several cases that the conversion was a result of religious brainwashing. This case is a clear example of a religiously motivated crime specifically targeting a Hindu woman. The accused, a Muslim man, deliberately concealed his religious identity to deceive the Hindu victim in a romantic relationship. This was not just a lie, but a calculated act rooted in malice towards her faith. He manipulated and targeted her under false pretences, and exploited her religious beliefs and background with premeditated intent to strip her of her Hindu identity. Such conduct is not only a gross violation of her religious autonomy, but also reflects deep-seated animosity towards her identity as a Hindu. Such actions are clear demonstrations of deep-rooted religious disdain towards Hinduism and its adherents. Subsequently, the Hindu woman was forcibly converted to Islam, given a Muslim name, and married off to the perpetrator in a Nikah ceremony in Deoband. By forcibly changing her name and faith, the Muslim perpetrator made a deliberate attempt to erase her Hindu identity and sever her ties with her faith and community. The act of using a fake Hindu identity to entrap her, then compelling her to abandon her religion, demonstrates the overtly religious motivations driving this crime. This incident is a stark example of how conversions under duress are a violation of an individual’s religious and personal autonomy, with the ultimate goal to eradicate the victim’s Hindu identity and enforce the perpetrator’s religious beliefs upon her. Such actions arise from deep-rooted hostility towards Hindu victims and their faith. The intent was not merely to change her religion, but to obliterate her connection to her own heritage and beliefs. When conversions are not based on personal conviction but are forced through deception and pressure, they amount to a fundamental abuse of trust, faith, and religious rights of Hindus, making it a religiously motivated crime. Since this case meets the criteria of a religiously motivated crime, it is being added to the hate crime database. Disclaimer: Media reports do not specify the exact date when the victim’s ordeal began. However, they indicate that the deception started two years ago, in 2023. The only date mentioned in reports is 1st August 2025, when the victim and the accused were travelling to Mussoorie. Therefore, for documentation purposes, an indicative date of 1st August 2023 is being used as the date of the incident, as Hinduphobia Tracker records the date when the victim’s ordeal begins rather than the date it is reported in the media.