Police register a case against five people, including a couple and a cleric; investigation continues
MORADABAD — Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad have arrested a husband and wife after a woman accused them of forcing her to convert her religion, sexually assaulting her, illegally confining her and threatening her. A case has also been registered against a cleric and two unidentified persons, who are currently being traced.
The case was registered at Majhola police station following a complaint by the woman, who alleged that she had known the accused family for nearly three years and that both families regularly visited each other’s homes and celebrated festivals together.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the woman alleged that she trusted the family, but they later subjected her to serious crimes.
In her complaint, the woman alleged that Sultan Salauddin, the husband of the main accused Mehraj Begum, had inappropriate intentions towards her, although she was unaware of them at the time.
She claimed that on 6 February, Mehraj Begum invited her to their house. When she reached there, Sultan Salauddin, a cleric and two unidentified persons were already present.
According to the FIR, the woman alleged that she was confined inside the house and threatened with Sultan Salauddin’s licensed pistol. She claimed that in the presence of the cleric and the others, she was forced to convert.
The complainant alleged that she was made to recite Islamic religious declarations and was pressured to marry Sultan Salauddin.
She further alleged that when she refused, the accused continued to pressure her. According to the complaint, the cleric reportedly said that a forced marriage was neither valid under Islamic law nor legal. Despite this, the woman alleged that Sultan Salauddin insisted that he would make her his wife.
The woman also alleged that after she refused to marry him, the accused couple abused her using caste-related slurs, threatened to kill her and kept her confined for several days.
In the FIR, she further alleged that Sultan Salauddin sexually assaulted her during the period of confinement. She claimed she eventually managed to escape and that even after leaving, the accused continued to threaten her with dire consequences.
The complainant also alleged that Sultan Salauddin is already facing an attempted murder case in Budaun district.
Based on her complaint, police registered a case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Moradabad Superintendent of Police Kumar Ranvijay Singh confirmed that the complaint had been received from a woman living in Prakash Nagar under the Majhola police station area.
“The complainant alleged that she was acquainted with Sultan Salauddin and his family and that both families had regular interaction. She stated that Mehraj Begum called her to her house, where she was allegedly sexually assaulted, pressured to convert her religion and kept confined,” Singh said.
The SP said that police immediately registered an FIR after receiving the complaint and arrested Sultan Salauddin and Mehraj Begum. Teams have been formed to trace the remaining accused.
The allegations are based on the complainant’s FIR. Police said the investigation is ongoing and the claims made in the complaint are yet to be tested in court.
