Forced religious conversion: A 30-year-old Muslim man was apprehended in Noida on the charges of alleged rape and attempted religious conversion bid on a woman on the pretext of marriage. The police said that the accused’s brother and father have also been taken into custody for being involved in this matter.
The trio have been identified as Intezar Khan (main accused) Suhail (brother) and Abbas Ali (father), the police added.
According to a senior police official, Accused Intezar Khan and the woman had met in a gym where she worked as a manager but the man had concealed his religious identity from her. He further said that the woman has filed a case at the Bisrakh police station, alleging rape, assault and forced attempt of religious conversion.
“The complainant informed the police that she came across Intezar at a gym in the Shahberi area. Intezar had initially hidden his identity from her and identified himself as ‘Sonu’. She also alleged rape with her by the accused,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida) Saad Miya Khan said.
FIR lodged under relevant section
He further said that an FIR was lodged immediately under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code as well as under the Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act.
According to the police, Intezar had lured the woman on the pretext of getting married to her. He had recently spiked her juice and raped her, the police said.
The FIR has been lodged under IPC sections 376 (rape), 323 (assault), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (party to criminal conspiracy).
Women arrested over charges of forced religious conversion in Balrampur
In a similar kind of incident, at least three women were arrested and four people booked after a local resident levelled charges against them of forced religious conversion and desecration of a temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district.
In response to a complaint by Deepa Nishad, a resident of Jafrabad, an FIR was filed at the Rehra Bazar police station against seven individuals under various sections, including the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, the police said.
(With PTI inputs)
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