Minor Hindu girl saved from abduction in Karimganj as locals capture Muslim abductor

Case ID : e97a197 | Location : Karimganj, Assam, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 19 July, 2023

Case ID : e97a197

Karimganj, Assam, India

19 July, 2023

Minor Hindu girl saved from abduction in Karimganj as locals capture Muslim abductor

Undecided cases

Abduction of minor

Case Summary

In Karimganj City, Southern Assam, a Muslim man, Monjurul Haque, tried to abduct the girl while she was returning home from tuition, but quick intervention by locals prevented the crime and led to his arrest by the police. The incident occurred when the girl was walking along Silchar Road in the evening. Haque attempted to forcefully take her away on his two-wheeler, but the girl’s loud screams drew the attention of nearby residents. Locals rushed to the spot, confronted the kidnapper, and managed to detain him before informing the police. A police team soon arrived and took Haque into custody. At the station, a large crowd of people assembled, demanding strict punishment for the crime. Police deployed additional forces to ensure law and order. The girl’s family later revealed that the man had been stalking her for some time, which had caused them growing concern prior to the attempted abduction.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the Undecided database due to the absence of conclusive evidence pointing to a religious motive behind the crime. The victim is a minor Hindu girl, and both the accused belong to the Muslim community. It has been observed in many similar cases where Muslim perpetrators consciously seek out Hindu girls, particularly minors, for religious conversion or sexual exploitation, due to underlying religious hostility and minors being more vulnerable. However, this could very well be a crime of opportunity, as the victim was abducted when she was alone. Furthermore, at the time of writing this report, there was no indication from the victim’s family or from the investigation so far that the girl was abducted specifically because of her religious or caste identity. Nevertheless, this remains speculative, as the case details provide no clear indication of religious motivations. For this reason, the case has been added to the 'Undecided' database. If further information emerges that hints towards a religiously motivated crime, then it would be reclassified and included under the Hate Crime database.