Many states, mostly BJP-ruled, have brought the ‘Anti Conversion Law’ into force, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and others. Some are yet to bring it into force. In a sensational case investigation, the Uttar Pradesh police uncovered a shocking truth about a Muslim woman who posed as Hindu to trap men from her community for extorting money. This is a classic example of how desperately Muslim men are after Hindu women for conversion.
The accused woman has been identified as Jameela Khatun, a native of Nalbari town in Assam. However, she had government-issued identity cards under the name of Puja Sharma, daughter of Raju Sharma, a resident of Delhi.
As per the police, Jameela filed fake cases against three men using forged identity cards. All of the victims belong to the same community as the accused. Jameela was not alone in this racket, as the police investigations have revealed the names of five other men linked to her so far.
How did the truth come out?
On July 6, 2023, Puja Sharma reached Kotwali Dehat police station in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh to register a complaint against her husband and in-laws. She said, she is a native of Mahaveer Colony, Delhi, and was married to Ahtesham, son of Farid, a native of Akhbarabad village in Bijnor, on May 29, 2023. She alleged that, soon after their marriage, her husband left her and her in-laws were torturing her for dowry.
During the investigations, the Bijnor police found that Puja was actually Jameela Khatun, a resident of the Darrang district, which falls under the Dalgaon police station of Assam. The police also recovered an Adhar Card and Pan Card from her having different names. It turns out Pan Card carried her real name and address.
Initially, the police registered a case under the charge of Dowry against Ahtesham and Farid. An FIR (number–154/2023) was registered at the Kotwali Dehat police station, under IPC sections 498A (harassment), 504 and 506 (criminal intimidation), and sections 3 / 4 of the Prevention of Dowry Act.
Multiple cases against co-religionists to extort money
Ahtesham and his family were not the only ones, fooled by Jameela. The press note released by Binor police states that she also registered a complaint against Zahir Ahmed in Dehradun.
She registered an FIR (number–412/2019) at Patel Nagar police station on October 7, 2019.
In her complaint, she introduced herself as Puja Sharma, daughter of Raju Sharma, a native of Mahaveer Nagar, Delhi. In her complaint, she alleged that Zahir, alias Sonu, sexually exploited her on the pretext of marriage. When she became pregnant and asked him to get married, Zahir dumped her.
Following her complaint, Zahir was booked under IPC sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
As per Superintendent of Police Bijnor, Neeraj Jadaun told the media that during questioning, Jameela revealed that before Zahir Ahmed, she had married twice — with Moidul Hassan Islam and Inam-ul-Haq respectively. She had abandoned both. She also revealed that for nikah with Ahtesham, she was renamed from Puja Sharma to Zainab Parveen.
Zahir was not the only man who fell prey to this trap. Earlier this year, Jameela had filed a case against a man named Naushad Qureshi for forcing her to convert to Islam. An FIR (number–21/2023) was registered at the Patel Nagar police station in Dehradun on January 18, 2023.
In her complaint, she had introduced herself as Puja Sharma, daughter of Raju Sharma, a resident of Mahivar Colony in the Tilak Nagar area of Delhi. In her statement, she told the police that she had been living with Naushad for a year-and-a-half, but he was raping and sexually exploiting her on the pretext of marriage. She also became pregnant, but Naushad was forcing her to abort the child and convert to his religion. Whenever she opposed this, Naushad, along with his brother and father, would beat her up.
Following this FIR, the police booked Naushad, his brother Shahnawaz and their father Zahir under IPC sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (causing hurt), 313 (causing miscarriage without a woman’s permission), and 295-A (hurting religious sentiments).
The extortion Racket
Police found a pattern in these complaints and hence interrogated the woman. The investigations revealed that Jameela was accompanied by Salman, Amajad, Zaheer, Asif and Khalid in this racket. All the accused are residents of Ahmednagar, Bijnor.
All these accused used to trap men and later blackmailed them of framing in false cases of rape and exploitation. The victim used to pay them money for settlement.
How Jameela alias Puja was arrested?
After the police found multiple identity cards from Jameela alias Puja, a case was registered against her by Fariduddin, the father of Ahtesham. A case against Ahtesham and family has led to these revelations.
Notably, In the FIR (number–171/2023, registered on July 23, 2023) registered at Kotwali Dehat, Bijnor, Fariduddin told police how Jameela alias Puja met Ahtesham and they underwent marriage.
After the complaint, police booked Puja and five others, Salman, Amajad, Zaheer, Asif and Khalid. Out of the six named accused, the police arrested Jameela, Zaheer and Asif so far.
They have all been booked under IPC sections, 389 (extortion), 420 (fraud), 468 (forgery), 471 (fraudulent use of documents), and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
Notably, apart from the fact that Muslim men trap Hindu women for conversion, this case also throws light on the fact that women like Jameela can misuse the ‘Anti Conversion Law’. Not only this, but it will also help in generalizing and supporting the allegations made by left-wingers and intellectuals who say, forced conversion and cases of Love Jihad are nothing but myths.
