Case Summary

In Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, two minor Hindu girls were trapped and sexually molested by three Muslim youth, who posed as Hindus to trap them. The accused had multiple social media accounts with fake Hindu identities. According to the reports, members of a Hindu organisation apprehended three Muslim youths who had trapped two Hindu minor girls by creating multiple fake Instagram accounts using Hindu names. The boys were seen teasing and engaging in obscene acts with the girls in a public area. Upon being confronted by the members of the Hindu organisation, the Muslim youths initially identified themselves using Hindu names. However, upon suspicion, their mobiles were checked, in which photos of many girls, chatting and indecent videos were also found. After this revelation, they were handed over to the police and action was taken on behalf of the minor Hindu girls. Further investigation revealed that the three boys, residents of Jansapura, had created eight different Instagram IDs using Hindu names to deceive and lure Hindu girls online. The police later confirmed that two of the three boys were minors, while the third, identified as Sahil, is an adult. As of the date of writing this report, a case was registered, and the investigation was ongoing.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: - Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Within it, the sub-category selected is: - Man pretends to be Hindu, with the tertiary category being: - Name changed. and Pattern of targeting Hindu women. 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 has been added to the tracker because two minor Hindu girls were lured, trapped, and sexually molested by three Muslim men who posed as Hindus to trap the victims. Furthermore, when their phones were checked, it was found out that the accused had created multiple social media accounts using Hindu names. This further establishes a pattern where the accused were religiously profiling and specifically targeting Hindu girls. The accused deliberately concealed their religious identity to initiate and sustain a relationship with Hindu minors. This itself is a clear manifestation of bias and malicious intent towards the victim's religion. By concealing their true identity, they exploited the girl's trust, targeting them under false pretences. This indicates a premeditated intent to manipulate based on the religious background of the victims. In cases like these, the tactic of adopting a false Hindu identity to manipulate and "ensnare" a Hindu individual is not just an act of personal betrayal but can also be interpreted as an expression of disdain or disregard for Hinduism and its customs that reflects a deeper animosity towards Hindus and their beliefs. It reflects an underlying ideological hostility, where the very identity of the victim becomes the basis for the crime. The repeated use of Hindu names and symbols to falsely gain the trust of Hindu women shows a deliberate and organised method, often aimed at conversion or humiliation of the victim based on her religious background. Another crucial aspect to highlight is that the victims were minors and, therefore, legally incapable of giving informed consent. Under the POCSO Act, any relationship involving an adult and a minor is categorically illegal. It is widely recognised that children, due to their ongoing emotional, cognitive, and social development, are especially vulnerable to manipulation. In this case, the perpetrators deliberately exploited that vulnerability to target them. This case demonstrates a calculated strategy of targeting those who are less able to resist or understand the long-term implications of such kind of deception, making it not just a sexual crime, but also a serious case of religiously motivated hate crime.