Hindu woman deceived into marriage through Hindu rituals by a Muslim man posing as Hindu; later given triple talaq and thrown out of the house

Case ID : f66475f | Location : Muradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 25 February, 2025

Case ID : f66475f

Muradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

25 February, 2025

Hindu woman deceived into marriage through Hindu rituals by a Muslim man posing as Hindu; later given triple talaq and thrown out of the house

Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes

Man pretends to be Hindu

Name Changed

Marries as per Hindu rituals

Case Summary

In Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu woman was deceived into marriage by a Muslim man who concealed his true identity. She was coerced into giving dowry and was later subjected to triple talaq. The accused, Iqrar, posed as a Hindu man named Raj and married the woman through Hindu rituals. After two years of marriage, she discovered his real identity and realised that he was a Muslim. When she confronted him, he issued death threats against her and their children. Iqrar also forced her to undergo multiple abortions and demanded ₹5 lakh from her. The woman later found out that he was already married to another woman named Afsana. His family further pressured her for a dowry of ₹1 lakh and a 100-yard plot in Peepalsana. When she refused, Iqrar gave her triple talaq, and her brother-in-law sexually harassed her. Upon resisting, she was brutally assaulted by her husband, in-laws, and other relatives, who then threw her out of the house and attempted to kill her. Seeking justice, the woman lodged a complaint at the Katghar police station, following which the police registered a case against the accused.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added as a religiously motivated crime under the prime category of- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu and within this, two tertiary categories- Name changed and Marries as per Hindu rituals have also been selected. 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 religious motive of the crime is evident from the fact that the Muslim perpetrator hid his true identity and married the Hindu woman as per Hindu rituals to trap her. 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, targeting her under false pretences. The use of force, intimidation, and dowry demands further highlights the systemic exploitation, where religious deception was a key tool in subjugating the victim. These factors indicate 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 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, and this is why this case has been added here.