On Tuesday, August 13, 2024, the Kushinagar police in Uttar Pradesh arrested a Maulvi on charges of rape and illegal conversion of a minor Dalit girl. The arrest came after the mother of the victim lodged a complaint against the Muslim cleric on August 8, 2024.
In her complaint, she accused Maulana Muhammad Owais, a resident of West Bengal, of kidnapping, rape and illegal conversion of her daughter. Maulana Muhammad Owais has been teaching in a Madarsa in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh for the past two years.
Kushinagar, UP: Mohd Owais, a teacher in a madrasa, allegedly converted a minor Dalit Hindu girl to Islam, as per the police.
— Treeni (@TheTreeni) August 13, 2024
He changed her name to Rani Khatun and impregnated her. Owais is from West Bengal.
The police have arrested him under the POCSO Act and relevant… pic.twitter.com/awVagtkLnG
Speaking about the incident, Kushinagar SP Santosh Kumar Mishra said that Maulana Muhammad Owais, a resident of Uttar Jharbari in the Gwalpokhar police station area of North Dinajpur district of West Bengal, had come to teach in a madarsa situated in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh. He took the teenager to his village located on the border of Bangladesh and converted her religion there. The Maulvi raped the teenager under the false pretext of marriage due to which she became pregnant. Maulana changed the name of the teenager to Rani Khatun.
।। दैनिक समाचार पत्रों में प्रकाशित प्रमुख खबरें ।।#kushinagarpolInNews#UPPoliceInNews#Kushinagar#spkushinagar pic.twitter.com/etjsjUQY5N
— Kushinagar Police (@kushinagarpol) August 14, 2024
SP further said that the investigation has revealed that the accused Maulvi used to visit the Bangladesh border frequently.
On the intervening night of Monday (August 11) and Tuesday (August 12), the Kushinagar police got the information that Maulana Muhammad Owasi was trying to flee the city with the teenage girl. Kushinagar PS SHO Omprakash Tiwari and Mansachhapar PS outpost in charge Gaurav Shukla formed a team and reached the spot. The police saw that the accused was trying to flee with the victim to Padrauna. The police arrested him. The teenage girl was sent to her parents.
The Maulvi was charged under various provisions of the IPC for kidnapping, rape and illegal conversion. Sections of the POCSO Act and SC/ST Act were also added to the FIR registered against him.
