Hindu woman brutally murdered by Muslim live-in partner after marriage demand
Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 
12 December, 2022
Case Summary
In Mumbai, Maharashtra, a 27-year-old Hindu woman named Urvi Vaishnav was brutally murdered by a Muslim man, Riyaz Khan, who strangled her to death after she asked him for marriage. According to reports, the Hindu woman, originally from Bundi in Rajasthan, worked as a waitress in Mumbai for six to seven years and resides in Kopar Khairane with her two brothers, Paras and Ayush. On December 13, she went missing, and when she did not call her brother as usual, her family filed a missing person report at the Nerul Police Station on December 14. Her body was discovered near a bridge close to the Gadi River on December 17, which was later identified by her brothers. Investigations by the police revealed that she was in a live-in relationship with a Muslim man named Riyaz Khan. Riyaz, who had previously worked as a gym trainer, already had three wives. Thus, when the victim pressed for marriage after being in a relationship of about seven months, the accused strangled her to death. Another Muslim man named Imran Shaikh also assisted him in disposing of the body in the river. Both the accused were arrested by the police, and legal proceedings were underway.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case raises suspicions about whether the Hindu woman was murdered due to religious animosity by her Muslim boyfriend. There have been several instances where Hindu women have been lured into relationships by Muslim men for sexual exploitation, subsequently pressured to convert, or, in extreme cases, killed. In multiple such cases, Hindu women were religiously profiled and targeted by Muslim perpetrators for sexual exploitation, often driven by religiously motivated hostility towards Hindus and Hinduism. Such instances reflect deep-seated religious hostility towards the victim’s faith. Furthermore, the accused already had three wives, which further suggests that deception was at play and that he was never interested in a long-term relationship with the Hindu woman. However, in the absence of clear and verifiable proof of religious animosity or intentional targeting based on faith, this case has been placed in the Undecided database. If further information emerges indicating that this case was motivated by religious animosity, it would then be categorised under the hate crime database. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that the report does not specify the exact date when the woman's ordeal began, but it mentions that the victim disappeared on 13th December 2022. Since this is the earliest date mentioned, we are considering this to be when the victim's ordeal began and using this as the incident date. While media coverage of the incident emerged later, the Hinduphobia Tracker records the incident based on when the victim’s ordeal began, not when it was reported.
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 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
