In what is being described as another instance of “Love Jihad,” a case from Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district has come to light involving a Muslim man who used a fake Hindu identity to deceive a Hindu woman into marrying him and converting to Islam. The woman, who was later sexually assaulted and threatened, managed to escape and file a formal complaint against the accused.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Matloom, reportedly posed as “Raju Thakur” to lure the Hindu woman, Rubi, a resident of Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh. The First Information Report (FIR No. 253/2024) was lodged at the Biwnar police station on October 16, following Rubi’s complaint.
According to the police complaint, Rubi met the accused through the social media platform Facebook, where he had portrayed himself as a Hindu named Raju Thakur. After weeks of interaction, Matloom convinced Rubi to travel to Hamirpur, promising marriage.
On July 25, 2024, she arrived in Hamirpur only to discover that the man she had been speaking to was actually a Muslim named Mohammad Matloom. She was also confronted by his father, Mehboob, and an unidentified individual. Together, they pressured her to undergo an Islamic marriage ceremony after converting to Islam.
Rubi, in her statement to the police, recounted the traumatic events that followed. “When I opposed, the unknown person and Mehboob threatened me with a pistol and said they would chop and throw me into the jungle. They locked me in a room. At night, Matloom, the son of Mehboob, raped me multiple times. He physically assaulted me and threatened to shoot me when I resisted,” she said.
The following morning, Rubi managed to escape and return home. However, the ordeal did not end there. According to the FIR, Matloom and the unidentified accomplice continued to harass Rubi and her family by phone, hurling abusive language at her mother and sisters and threatening to kill her or kidnap her family members. Despite her repeated pleas to the police, no immediate action was taken, which, according to her, has emboldened the accused.
The police have now registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections 64(2)(m), 127(2), 352, and 351(2), as well as sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act. The investigation is ongoing, though the accused have not yet been arrested.
This incident follows a similar case reported just days earlier from Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, where another Hindu woman named Lakshmi accused a man of using a fake Hindu name to trap her into a relationship, sexually assault her, and attempt to force her into converting to Islam. In Lakshmi’s case, the accused, who initially introduced himself as “Rahul,” was later revealed to be Javed. He allegedly blackmailed her with explicit videos of the assault, threatening to release them if she did not comply with his demands. When she resisted his advances during a local fair, he physically assaulted her and revealed his true identity, stating, “My real name is Javed, and now you will have to convert and marry me. If you refuse, I will release all the videos and photos, and no one will ever want you.”
Javed has since been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police. However, in the case involving Mohammad Matloom, authorities are still working to apprehend the accused.
These incidents have sparked fresh concerns over the growing number of cases where Muslim men are accused of using deceptive means, such as adopting false Hindu identities, to entrap Hindu women for the purpose of religious conversion.
In recent years, the phenomenon has gained widespread attention, with numerous reports surfacing across the country. Organiser, has compiled a list of over 60 cases where Muslim men have allegedly employed these deceptive tactics to lure Hindu women. Social media activists and organizations have also raised alarms, calling for families to stay vigilant and educate young women about the dangers of such manipulations.
