Minor Hindu girl targeted and lured under religious pretext; Madrasa cleric instructed Muslim accused to prey specifically on Hindu girls

Case ID : ef6540c | Location : Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 12 January, 2025

Case ID : ef6540c

Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, India

12 January, 2025

Minor Hindu girl targeted and lured under religious pretext; Madrasa cleric instructed Muslim accused to prey specifically on Hindu girls

Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes

Brainwashed and/or groomed

Pattern of targeting Hindu minors

Case Summary

In Lakhmiya village, under the jurisdiction of Baccharaon police station in Amroha district, Uttar Pradesh, a minor Hindu girl was lured into a relationship by a Muslim man named Nizamuddin. He groomed her to elope with him and had planned to sell her. Nizamuddin acted under the direction of a Maulana, an Islamic cleric, of a Madrasa, who instructed him to target Hindu girls, sexually exploit them, and traffic them. Reports suggest that Nizamuddin, a resident of Khadgujar village, posed as a quack doctor, travelling from village to village treating animals. About five months ago, he visited the home of a Hindu farmer in Lakhmiya village to treat livestock, where he met the farmer’s minor daughter. He manipulated the teenager into a relationship and began visiting the house regularly. At Nizamuddin’s grooming and manipulation, the girl gave sleeping pills to her family in their food. Following this, at around two in the morning, Nizamuddin arrived at the farmer’s house and took the minor girl with him, attempting to elope. However, villagers and Bajrang Dal members noticed them leaving at night and intervened. When confronted, Nizamuddin tried to escape but was apprehended. The farmer’s family was called, and the daughter was returned to them. Villagers recorded a video of Nizamuddin after his capture and circulated it online, in which he admitted to his actions. Hindu organisations interrogated him, and Nizamuddin stated that the Maulana from a Madrasa had instructed him to target Hindu girls, sexually exploit them, and sell them. He admitted he was taking the teenager away to sell her. The villagers then physically assaulted Nizamuddin before notifying the police, who then arrested him. The incident caused significant unrest in the village. Inspector Pramod Kumar confirmed that a case was registered against Nizamuddin based on a complaint from the minor’s father. Police also stated that the Maulvi involved would be arrested. Akhilesh Bhadoria, ASP of Amroha, said, “The arrested accused has been visiting the minor’s house for about five months. They had a love affair. This time, he started taking the minor along. An FIR has been lodged, and the accused has been charged. Information about others involved is also being gathered.”

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. The subcategory selected is- Brainwashed and/ or Groomed. The tertiary category selected is- Pattern of targeting minors. In our database, we have not added incidents where women have converted to another religion of their free will and no allegations of forced/involuntary conversion have been made. However, there are certain cases of conversion where the consent itself is a result of the brainwashing or grooming of a minor by the non-Hindu perpetrator trying to victimise a woman for her Hindu religious identity. The phenomenon of grooming points to non-Hindu perpetrators identifying their Hindu victims’ vulnerabilities and exploiting them over months and sometimes years, to extract the supposed ‘consent’ in order to convert their religion. In most cases of grooming, the victims are minors or the grooming started when the victim was a minor. In other cases of grooming, the non-Hindu perpetrator brainwashes and grooms a minor victim to extract their trust and then proceeds to rape them repeatedly with the intent of converting them to their faith. It is pertinent to understand here that when the victim is a minor, the ‘consent’ to convert or enter into a romantic relationship with an adult itself is redundant – addressed by POCSO. While every case of conversion of a minor and incidents of establishing a physical relationship with a minor by an adult is a crime, for the purpose of this database, a case would be considered a hate crime only if there is a distinct religious angle to the grooming. For example, in the UK, if a Hindu minor is targeted by Pakistani grooming gangs, it would be considered a hate crime because the victims are specifically targeted owing to their non-Muslim religious identity with the perpetrators being Muslim. In other cases, if a Hindu minor is brainwashed into entering a physical relationship with the non-Hindu adult perpetrator and the family alleges grooming/brainwashing of the minor to convert her religion, it would form a part of this database. If the victim is a Hindu adult, the case would form a part of this database only if the victim herself says that she was brainwashed/groomed to convert her religion. However, if the victim is deceased (murdered or otherwise), the case would form a part of this database if her family/friends provided testimony that the victim was brainwashed/groomed to convert her religion. Since these crimes have a distinct religious angle where the victim is being targeted owing to her Hindu religious identity, these cases are considered a hate crime. In this specific case, it is evident from the details that the Hindu victim was a minor, which essentially means that the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. 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. Minor children are not capable of making long-term adult decisions like converting to another religion or marrying, or dating an adult. Moreover, subtle manipulation tactics can be difficult to detect, especially when they are employed by trusted authority figures in positions of influence. This makes it challenging for parents to identify and address instances of religious manipulation. Despite knowing the fact that the victim is a minor, the Muslim perpetrator used her vulnerability and targeted her due to her faith with the intent to sexually exploit her and then sell her. Since the underlying offence here is committed against a child of the Hindu faith and stems from bias against that faith; thus, this case constitutes a religiously motivated crime. Additionally, the involvement of a Maulvi who instructed the accused to target, exploit, and then sell Hindu girls specifically introduces a layer of organised religious motivation to the crime. Such direction from a religious authority to commit offences against Hindus in particular demonstrates advocacy of hatred and incitement to sexual violence based on religion, which is a recognised hallmark of religiously motivated crimes. These actions not only endanger the safety of Hindu individuals but also contribute to a sense of insecurity and intimidation within the Hindu community. This also showcases that the minor girl was religiously profiled and deliberately targeted by the Muslim perpetrator because of her Hindu identity. Such acts are carried out by Muslim perpetrators due to indoctrination by the Islamic theology, which advocates that all non-Muslims (referred to as kafirs) are inferior and subject to subjugation unless they convert to Islam or live under Islamic rule (dhimmitude). These ideas are not mere abstractions; they manifest in actions where non-Muslims, especially Hindus in India, are seen as targets for religious domination, coercion, or humiliation. This theological framework fosters an "us versus them" mindset, in which any assertion of Hindu identity or religious freedom is seen not only as undesirable but as a threat to Islamic supremacy. As a result, perpetrators who are shaped by such teachings feel justified, even morally obligated, to harass, suppress, or violently attack Hindus, particularly when Hindus assert their religious rights or resist conversion. Such acts, therefore, are not isolated but driven by a broader ideological hostility towards Hindus as non-believers and reflect an attempt to impose religious dominance. Since this case was also not a random isolated incident of grooming of a minor but a premeditated attack motivated by bias and hatred against the Hindu community, which is a defining feature of hate crimes, this has been added to the tracker. Disclaimer: Media reports do not specify the exact date when the victim's ordeal began, but they indicate that it started when she first met the accused, approximately five months ago. Therefore, we have selected an indicative date of 13th January 2025, even though the incident was reported in the media on 13th June 2025. Hinduphobia Tracker records the date when the victim's ordeal began, rather than the date it was reported in the media.