An instance of love jihad has been reported from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, where a Hindu woman has said that Naved alias Ricky established a relationship with her while concealing his faith and then forcing her into marriage. The woman further disclosed that the perpetrator’s brother Javed and mother Gulnaz coerced and subjected her to torture in order to convert her to Islam. Police have registered a case and arrested the accused on 20th November.
According to the woman, a cleric was also contacted in an attempt to make her embrace Islam. She shared that Naved had already married another Hindu girl, converted her, and then divorced her. He is also charged with enforcing the circumcision of two children and holding one of them captive with him.
The case is from the Ghaziabad neighbourhood of Shalimar Garden Police Station. The victim said in her complaint that she met the offender in 2015, which was submitted at the police station on 20th November. The offender is a native of Delhi’s Wazirabad and introduced himself as a Hindu man. They then tied the knot on 10th July 2015 and had two children. Meanwhile, she learned that her husband was in fact a Muslim named Naved.
According to the copy of the complaint (with OpIndia), the woman stated that he was previously married before getting divorced and once she came to know about it, she protested for hiding his marital status along with his religious identity from her. However, he seemed unfazed by the accusations. He also started assaulting the victim along with his brother and mother with the objective of extracting a dowry.
A few days later, per the complaint, Naved called a cleric and pressurised the victim into becoming a Muslim. Naved gave her the name Nazia and started calling her by the same. The woman said that Naved even made a death threat against her if she refused to change her religion. In addition, he made threats to sever her mother’s throat.
Distressed by the harassment from her husband and his family, the complainant started staying at her parents’ home in Ghaziabad. It is reported that on 2nd November Naved, along with some of his associates, came to their house and threatened her. He tried to cut her mother’s throat and issued threats. On 19th November, Naved once again visited his spouse and assaulted her. The people who were around at the time gathered after hearing the screams and caught Naved, after which he was handed over to the authorities.
थाना शालीमार गार्डन पुलिस द्वारा धर्मांन्तरण कराने वाला एक अभियुक्त गिरफ्तार । pic.twitter.com/yO1MMAeSYy
— DCP TRANS HINDON COMMISSIONERATE GHAZIABAD (@DCPTHindonGZB) November 21, 2023
On 20th November, on the complaint of the victim, cops booked Naved under sections 419, 420, 498-A, 323, 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code along with sections 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and sections 3/5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021. Action has been taken against the offender as well as his mother, brother and two other unknown persons in the case. Naved is in police custody and further investigation in the matter is underway.
Naved’s ex-wife is also a Hindu
OpIndia spoke to the victim for details, who asked not to reveal her identity, and said that Naved had previously married a Hindu girl who hails from the Bhajanpura area in Delhi. She mentioned that Naved converted her to Islam, named her Tamanna and later divorced her. Naved has been threatening his ex-spouse as well due to which she is not filing a complaint.
Naved circumcised both children of the victim
The woman revealed to OpIndia that she married Naved and went on to have two children. She managed to free one of them from him while the other continues to stay with the accused’s family. Both of the kids are minors and the complainant kept them away from Naved for four months in an effort to preserve their Hindu identities. Naved allegedly assigned them Mulsim names and had them circumcised. The woman pleaded for the return of her kids.
The cleric was Naved’s friend
Naved’s residence was next to the victim’s relative where the duo used to meet and talk. He drove an auto-rickshaw earlier and later started buying and selling cars by taking money from her mother. She informed that the cleric, who was called to convert her, was Naved’s friend. She told OpIndia that the police have apprehended Naved, however, other accused, including his family members are not caught yet. She demanded strict action from the police administration against all of them.
