Hindu woman deceived into marriage by a Muslim man posing as Hindu; forced to convert and tortured after accused's identity is revealed
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India 
25 February, 2025
Case Summary
A Hindu woman was deceived into marriage by a Muslim man named Ahsan, who falsely presented himself as Rahul. By concealing his true identity, he tricked her into marrying him. Upon discovering his real identity, she was subjected to intense pressure to convert to Islam. When she refused, she endured severe physical and mental abuse. Additionally, the accused forced her to undergo an abortion. On February 26, the woman filed a complaint at the police station, revealing that Ahsan had married her at an Arya Samaj temple under a false identity. His family was also complicit in the deception. Following her complaint, the police arrested Ahsan, his father, Ikhlaq, and his brother, Imran. During interrogation, Ahsan admitted to meeting the victim in 2019 and luring her into marriage with false promises of a lucrative job and financial security. The victim, who also has a four-year-old daughter, suffered at the hands of Ahsan’s family. The accused's mother, Feroz, and sisters, Aaliya and Najju, were also implicated in the case.
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 second sub-category under the above-mentioned prime category relevant in this case is- Forced conversion after marriage. In such cases, a non-Hindu man marries a Hindu woman and the force/pressure to convert to Islam begins after marriage. In such cases, the marriage is consensual in most cases and often, there is no element of the man hiding his religious identity. The marriage could be under the Special Marriages Act where neither parties are required to convert their religion for the marriage to be considered legitimate. While the victim in such cases enters matrimony assuming that religious identity is not a barrier, the non-Hindu man starts to pressure the woman to convert to Islam after marriage. In such cases, there is application of force by the perpetrator, including, denial of the woman’s religious rights. Some of the means by which the woman is forced/pressured to convert include force-feeding beef, forced to read the Kalma, forced to wear a hijab, forced for Halala, etc. There are several instances where after marriage, the woman voluntarily converts to Islam. Such cases are often argued to be a result of religious brainwashing, however, for the purpose of documenting religiously motivated hate crimes, in the absence of the victim complaining of forced conversion, such cases do not form a part of the database. The last 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 pressuring 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. Distinct elements in this particular case demonstrate that the crime was committed while harbouring a bias against the Hindu faith. First and foremost, the Muslim perpetrator actively hid his religion and pretended to be a Hindu to ensnare the Hindu woman. He purposely married her as per Hindu rituals to deceive the Hindu girl. By concealing his true identity, he exploited her trust, targeting her 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 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. Further, when his real identity was revealed, he forced the Hindu victim to convert to Islam, and when she refused to comply, he, along with his family members, inflicted torture on her. This violent retaliation after the victim rejected his proposal further reinforces the religious motive. The assaults, combined with the deception, align with a well-documented pattern of Hindu women being targeted for exploitation, often with an underlying agenda of religious conversion. Such targeted victimisation based on religion not only demonstrates a fundamental disregard for Hinduism but also exposes a deeper animosity toward Hindus and their beliefs. This is why this case has been included in the tracker, as it exemplifies a clear instance of religiously motivated hate and exploitation.
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
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
