A disturbing case of rape and attempted religious conversion has been surfaced from the Banganga region of Indore, where a woman has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a man who had impersonated as a lawyer and attempted to convert her to Islam. The accused had also allegedly made death threats to the children of the woman in order to suppress her.
The accused, according to police, came across the woman on the grounds of a local court posing as a lawyer. Having gained the woman’s trust by posing as a lawyer who would provide her with legal help, the accused allegedly took advantage and subsequently paid an illicit visit to the woman’s house, where he coerced her into sexual intercourse and attempted to convert her religion.
The victim, whose name has been withheld on security grounds, disclosed in her complaint to the police that her husband has spent the last seven years of his life behind bars. On June 24, she had gone to the Indore court looking for legal help to continue with her case. It was here that Haider, claiming himself to be a lawyer, met her and promised to take up her case.
While speaking with the woman, she told him that crucial documents for her case were in her home. This was used by him as a pretext and he professed that he wanted to go to her house the following day to go through the documents.
Assault at Home and Threats to Children
Haider visited the woman on June 25. She invited him in and was making tea when the accused shut the door from within. In spite of resistance from the woman, he raped her by force, as per her testimony.
After the attack, Haider allegedly forced her to change religion, insisting that conversion would grant her and her children a life of peace. He further threatened to kill her children and socially defame her if she were to report the matter to anyone.
Terrified and shaken, the woman first turned to her family members, who advised her to go to the police.
Police Action and Ongoing Investigation
The woman lodged a complaint formally at the Banganga police station on June 26. Acting quickly, the police filed a case against Haider under appropriate sections regarding rape, criminal intimidation, and attempted religious conversion. The woman was made to undergo a medical examination to support her allegations.
“We have lodged the case and a medical check-up has been done. Search is on to find and arrest the accused, Haider,” a senior police officer at Banganga police station told.
The case has raised issue with the abuse of legal identity and increasing reports of people allegedly targeting vulnerable women under pretence. Cases with exploitation being masked as legal aid and coercion to convert religion have sparked debates about the safety of women, legal protection, and the requirement of stronger checks on people impersonating themselves in vulnerable areas like courts.
The incident is part of a string of similar incidents reported from regions of Madhya Pradesh and other states, where women were enticed, attacked, or coerced in the name of friendship, love, or professional guidance, with forced religious conversion being part of it.
Similar Cases of Deception, Religious Conversion Pressure, and Violence
1. Ujjain, June 17, 2025 -Fake Identity and Forced Conversion
A Hindu woman in Ujjain was cheated online by Nafis Khan, pretending to be “Kanu Patel” on Instagram. Once she realised his real Muslim identity and severed all contact, he threatened her family. He induced her to a park, insisted on marrying her and converting, and then harassed her physically. Local Hindu activists caught him and beat him up. Police arrested Nafis and recovered obscene videos from his phone.
2. Ujjain, June 3, 2025 – Eight-Year Relationship Under False Identity
A Hindu woman cohabited with a man named “Rohit” for eight years and gave birth to his child on the same expectation that he would marry her. He subsequently disclosed his true name as Kurban Shah and asked her to convert to Islam. She claimed she was raped, abused, and threatened for years when she resisted. Hindu activists assisted in the filing of an FIR under the BNS and Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act.
3. Bhopal, May 30, 2025 – Rape with Forced Conversion Demand
A woman from Bhopal met Aman Hasan while working with a finance company. He assured marriage without conversion at first, but subsequently demanded that she convert to Islam. Refusing to do so, he attacked and threatened her family, and went on to rape her. Police have filed a case and initiated an investigation.
4. Indore, May–June 2025 – Serial Abuse and Conversion Pressure by Shooting Coach Mohsin Khan
The Indore shooting coach case concerns Mohsin Khan, a private shooting coach who has been accused of committing several heinous crimes, such as molestation, rape, religious conversion by force, and blackmail of his female trainees. More than a dozen women, including minors and national-level shooters, have lodged FIRs against him, accusing him of running a systematic racket against Hindu girls in the name of offering sports training. The victims say they were promised success, and then sexually exploited, physically assaulted, and forced to convert to Islam. Other women also complained that Mohsin Khan made them consume meat, prevented them from repeating Hindu religious slogans, and pulled off their sacred threads (kalawas). Police found more than 100 obscene clips on his devices, and further investigations confirmed financial fraud and caste-based harassment as well. The case has drawn public ire in Indore, with calls for stern action under the POCSO Act, the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, and other laws. Mohsin Khan is still in police custody while the investigations are on.
