Hindu girl deceived into relationship and marriage by Muslim youth faking Hindu identity

Case ID : 99586a5 | Location : Basti, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 9 May, 2025

Case ID : 99586a5

Basti, Uttar Pradesh, India

9 May, 2025

Hindu girl deceived into relationship and marriage by Muslim youth faking Hindu identity

Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes

Man pretends to be Hindu

Name Changed

Case Summary

In the Gaur area of Basti, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu girl was deceived into a relationship and marriage by a Muslim youth named Zakir Ali, who pretended to be a Hindu man. According to reports, the accused was a resident of Asadha village in Kaushambi district and had befriended the Hindu girl from Gaur area through mobile and online communication, by introducing himself as a Hindu man. Gradually, the two became closer and agreed to marry each other. Subsequently, the accused shifted to the victim's village in Gaur, about four months ago, started living in a rented room and began working at a local salon. To conceal his true identity, he changed his name to a Hindu name, Subhash, son of Raju, with the intention of deceptively marrying the Hindu girl. On September 13, 2025, the accused got into a minor bike accident with another villager named Rohit. Due to this, a scuffle ensued, and Rohit informed the police. When the police reached the accused's house, he was nowhere to be found. After the initial investigation, the police were finally able to apprehend the accused from a nearby sugarcane field the next day. It was then revealed that the accused's name was Zakir Ali and that he was a Muslim. During interrogation, Zakir claimed that he had changed his name and address in order to marry the Hindu girl. Once the Hindu girl discovered his real identity, she refused to marry him. However, her family declined to pursue any legal proceedings. The police arrested Zakir in the bike accident case and booked him for disturbing the peace, taking preventive action in view of the situation

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category in this case is: Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. The first subcategory under this is: Man pretends to be Hindu. The tertiary category under this 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. This case has been added to the tracker because the Hindu girl was deceived into a relationship and marriage by the Muslim accused, who faked a Hindu identity. The accused deliberately concealed his religious identity to initiate and sustain a relationship with a Hindu girl. He claimed that he wanted to marry the 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, reflecting a deeper animosity towards Hindus and their beliefs. This case is on the lines of a wider pattern where Hindu women are deliberately targeted by non-Hindu men by hiding their real identity. This is not just a matter of personal betrayal but a clear attempt to take advantage of the victim’s faith and community. Such actions are rooted in religious animosity towards the victim's professed faith, that is, Hinduism. It creates fear and mistrust among Hindus and makes the crime communal in nature. By using religion as a tool for deception, such an act causes harm not only to the victim but also to the larger Hindu community, thus making it a religiously motivated hate crime. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when the victim’s ordeal began. However, in this case, the report does not provide specific details regarding when the accused trapped the victim, though it is mentioned that the accused came to her village about four months ago. Thus, to document this case, we have used an indicative date—May 10, 2025—as a placeholder to represent the beginning of her suffering.