Minor Hindu girl lured, raped and pressured to convert to Islam under false promise of marriage
Handia, Uttar Pradesh, India 
12 May, 2025
Case Summary
In Handia, a 16-year-old Hindu tribal minor girl was lured away by a Muslim man. The Muslim man gave her a false promise of marriage and sexually harassed her. He also pressured her to convert to Islam. In the complaint filed at the Handia police station, the minor's father stated that on May 13, around 9:00 PM, after having dinner, he had gone to the fields to water his crop. At home were his wife, mother, two sons, and a daughter. During the night, the daughter went missing. A report was filed at the Handia police station the next morning against the unknown accused. Based on the complaint, Crime Number 210/25 under Section 137(2) of the BNS was registered at Handia police station, and the investigation was initiated. As the case involved a minor and a formal complaint had been lodged, Handia TI (Town Inspector) Subhash Darshyamkar deployed a police team to search for the missing girl. Acting on a tip-off from an informant, Handia police located the minor and the accused youth, who was a Muslim named Afraz (son of Sattar Khan, age 27, resident of Handia), in Bherunda. Both were brought to the Handia police station. The police handed over the minor to her family members. During questioning, the girl narrated her ordeal. Based on her complaint, the Handia police registered a case against the accused Afraz under various sections related to rape, POCSO Act, and SC/ST Act. Hindu activists submitted a request to the Tehsil office to take appropriate action against the perpetrators and to remove the accused's illegal encroachment. In the request, they reported that the Muslim perpetrator sexually harassed the Hindu girl and he gave her a false promise of marriage. The activists also reported that the minor girl was pressured to convert to Islam.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker un the primary category of - Predatory Proselytisation. The sub-category selected here is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, and within it, the tertiary categories selected are - Conversion of minor and Rape and sexual assault/harassment. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious grooming or brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such grooming or brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. In this case, the child was a minor. Hindu activists reported that the Muslim perpetrator lured her away under the false promise of marriage. They also reported the conversion angle. Their testimony is vital in establishing the brainwashing angle, as it provides direct insight into how a minor Hindu girl was deceptively lured away under the false promise of marriage and subjected to religious conversion. The girl was also sexually exploited. It is also important to mention that since the victim, in this case, is a minor, there was an absence of both consent and a genuine change of conscience. It is a well-established fact that children are more susceptible to manipulation since they are still developing emotionally, cognitively, and socially. Their brains are not fully mature, making them more vulnerable to influence and less capable of critically evaluating information. Moreover, subtle manipulation tactics can be difficult to detect, making it challenging for parents to identify and address instances of religious manipulation. Consequently, cases involving religious manipulation of minors not only represent an infringement on an individual's religious freedom but also demonstrate a calculated strategy of targeting those who are less able to resist or understand the long-term implications of conversion, making it a significant case of religious-motivated hate crime.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 1
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
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 
