Hindu woman duped, assaulted, and pressured to convert by Muslim man pretending to be Hindu
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India 
23 January, 2025
Case Summary
A Muslim man was arrested in Lucknow for deceiving a woman, taking lakhs of rupees from her, and later assaulting and threatening her when she demanded her money back. The incident was reported at Para police station. The accused, Shahban Ali from Gorakhpur, introduced himself to the victim two years ago as Aryan Mishra, claiming to be a teacher. Gaining her trust, Shahban began tutoring her sister’s children and exploited the relationship to take a significant amount of money under false pretences. When the victim discovered his real identity, she stopped the coaching and demanded the return of her money. Shahban refused and later pressured her to convert to Islam and marry him. When the woman rejected his demands, Shahban forcibly entered her house on January 24 and 25, physically assaulted her, molested her, and threatened to kill her. He also threatened to release a video of the molestation he made to intimidate her further. The victim’s brother filed a complaint, leading to Shahban’s arrest. Inspector Suresh Kumar Singh confirmed that a case had been registered, and Shahban was sent to jail.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the category of- Hate crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu and the tertiary categories chosen within this are- 'Name Changed' and 'Raped and/or murdered after Hindu woman finds out real identity'. 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. The second sub-category selected here is- Blackmailed to convert. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman is blackmailed to convert her religion, owing to her religious identity of being a Hindu. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu man known to the victim, however, there could be cases where the relationship is not consensual and the non-Hindu man starts blackmailing a Hindu woman to convert her religion. In these cases, it is often seen that the Hindu woman is blackmailed with intimate photos and/or videos, threats of harm to her or her family, threats of violence etc. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. The third sub-category under which this case has been placed is- Assault or threat upon refusal to convert. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman faces threats or assault after she refuses to convert and change her religious identity owing to pressure/force by the non-Hindu man. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu man known to the victim. Somewhere along the relationship, the non-Hindu man starts pressurizing the Hindu woman to convert to Islam and upon her refusal, assaults or threatens the victim. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. Cases where the Hindu woman converts to Islam and does not file a complaint about the force or threat, are not considered a part of the hate tracker, even though, it may be argued that the woman was brainwashed or threatened to convert to Islam. The religious motive of the crime is evident from the fact that the Muslim perpetrator hid his true identity to gain the trust of the Hindu victim. This itself is a clear manifestation of bias and malicious intent towards the victim's religion. By concealing his true identity, he exploited her trust and gained entrance into her house under false pretences. This indicates a premeditated intent to manipulate her based on her religious background. In cases like these, the tactic of adopting a false Hindu identity to manipulate 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. Further, when the victim discovered the perpetrator's real identity, she stopped the coaching and demanded the return of her money. The accused refused and later pressured her to convert to Islam and marry him. He then proceeded to sexually assault her and record the act, which he used to blackmail her to accede to his demands. The use of blackmail to force conversion is a clear demonstration of religious hate, as it targets the victim's religious beliefs and seeks to erase her identity. This case is a glaring example of how deep-seated intolerance can manifest in violent and coercive actions, with the ultimate goal of religious subjugation and domination. The deliberate nature of the deception and the subsequent attempt to force conversion highlights the extent of disdain the accused harboured for the victim's faith, making this a clear case of religiously motivated hate.
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
Sources 
