Hindu woman deceived into marriage by Muslim man posing as Hindu, wearing kalawa and tilak to manipulate her
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India 
13 April, 2025
Case Summary
A Muslim man identifying himself as a Hindu named Manas attempted to deceive a Hindu woman by marrying her at an ancient Shiva temple near Ahimamau crossing in the Sushant Golf City area. The woman, a widow with a child, was misled by the man, whose real name was Mohammad Rais, a resident of Loni Katra in Barabanki. Rais brought her to the temple early on Monday (April 14th, 2025) morning and requested the priest to perform the marriage ceremony. However, the priest grew suspicious when Rais refused to produce his Aadhaar card or details of his family. Despite wearing a large kalava on his wrist and a prominent tilak on his forehead, he was unable to answer questions about his gotra. The priest contacted local RSS workers, who arrived at the scene and took the couple to the nearby police station. The police took the matter seriously and registered a case under relevant sections. Investigations revealed that the woman had been unaware of Rais's real identity and had been led to believe he was a Hindu. Investigation also revealed that Rais had two Aadhar cards in his name, one as Manas and the original one. The local police confirmed that Rais was taken into custody and that a formal investigation was underway. According to news18 report, Mohammad Rais had previously been imprisoned in connection with a rape case. Though he later reportedly settled the matter with the victim and married her in court.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. The sub-category relevant in this case is- Man pretends to be Hindu, and within it, three tertiary categories selected are- Name Changed, Marries as per Hindu rituals and Wears symbols of Hinduism. 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 qualifies as a hate crime owing to the deliberate religious deception employed by a Muslim man to manipulate a Hindu woman into a relationship under false pretences. By assuming a fabricated Hindu identity—changing his name, donning sacred symbols like the kalava and tilak, and marrying her in a Shiva temple according to Hindu rituals—the accused knowingly exploited the woman's religious faith to gain her trust. His actions were not simply deceptive but carried malicious intent, aiming either at religious conversion or the exploitation of her Hindu identity. The deception in this case transcends individual misconduct and enters the realm of a religiously motivated hate crime, particularly when assessed in the broader context. The deliberate impersonation of a Hindu for the purpose of entering into a relationship reflects a clear bias against the woman’s religious identity. The accused’s calculated use of Hindu rituals and symbols further aggravates the offence, transforming it into a form of religious coercion and subversion. His actions embody animosity towards the Hindu faith, making the crime not just one of personal betrayal, but one driven by communal hostility and predatory intent.
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
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
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