Minor Hindu girl lured into relationship by Muslim man with the fake promise of marriage

Case ID : b1c5dbc | Location : Basti, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 28 September, 2025

Case ID : b1c5dbc

Basti, Uttar Pradesh, India

28 September, 2025

Minor Hindu girl lured into relationship by Muslim man with the fake promise of marriage

Predatory Proselytisation

Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination

Case Summary

A minor Hindu girl belonging to a Dalit family from Basti, Uttar Pradesh, was lured into a relationship by a Muslim man, Ikram Ansari, with a fake promise of marriage. On September 29, 2025, a Hindu minor girl went missing while on her way to the local market. After her family filed a complaint, the police quickly registered a case and launched an investigation. It was discovered that the accused, Ikram Ansari from Kushinagar, had lured the girl with the promise of marrying her. The police learned that the accused was planning to abandon the girl and flee to Mumbai. Acting swiftly, the police team, led by SHO Vishv Mohan Rai, apprehended the Muslim man at Foothiya Chowk. The Superintendent of Police, Abhinandan, confirmed that the accused was charged under the relevant sections, and further legal proceedings were underway. Circle Officer Pradeep Kumar Tiwari praised the police’s quick response and vigilance in making the arrest and safely returning the minor Hindu girl to her home.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is - Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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. This case has been added to the tracker because a minor Hindu girl was brainwashed and abducted for marriage by the Muslim accused. It is important to note that the victim was a minor, meaning any element of consent or genuine change of conscience was absent ab initio. Minors, due to their age and immaturity, are highly vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They cannot fully comprehend the implications of conversion or consent to a relationship or marriage, and the Muslim perpetrator deliberately exploited this vulnerability. Under the POCSO Act, any supposed consent given by a minor for marriage, elopement, or conversion is legally invalid. While details of conversion have not been explicitly reported, it is important to recognise that under Islamic law, conversion to Islam is a prerequisite for marriage to a Muslim. Thus, the act of abducting a Hindu minor for marriage inherently carries the element of intended religious conversion. This makes the offence not merely one of abduction but of predatory proselytisation through deceit and coercion. Furthermore, by luring the minor Hindu girl away from her family, the accused sought to isolate and indoctrinate her, undermining her sense of security and identity as a Hindu. Such acts are a grave assault on her religious autonomy and dignity, targeting her specifically because of her Hindu faith. These are not isolated offences but manifestations of a deeper hostility towards Hindus and an intent to erode their faith and culture, making this incident a clear instance of religiously motivated hate.