Kerala Story in Uttarakhand: Minor Hindu girl brainwashed into preaching Islam after meeting Muslim girl, then eloped with barber Salman, three arrested

23-year-old Salman alias Ishaan and his 24-year-old relative Shan Malik alias Imran have been apprehended from their house in Najibabad, Uttar Pradesh

A major controversy erupted in Uttarakhand after a minor girl was abducted by a barber named Salman in Pauri Garhwal. Local Hindus have taken to the streets in protest of the incident. The state women’s commission asked for strict action against the accused. The police have also arrested Salman and two other perpetrators. Now, shocking details have come to light including the girl’s clever brainwashing.

State Women Commission Chairperson Kushum Kandwal has spoken to Senior Superintendent of Police Ayush Aggarwal over the phone and demanded strict action against the offenders. She has directed a commission team to provide the victim with counselling and proper care. The girl has been kept in the “One Stop Center” while the offenders have been sent to jail. Kushum Kandwal asserted there is no place for incidents like love jihad and religious conversion in Devbhoomi (land of Gods). She added that girls in the state are being lured and misled in the name of friendship by those who change their names (pretend to be Hindu) on social media. She called upon the parents and law enforcement agencies to be vigilant.

Tehri Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ayush Aggarwal mentioned that 23-year-old Salman alias Ishaan and his 24-year-old relative Shan Malik alias Imran have been apprehended from their house in Najibabad, Uttar Pradesh. A local, Rakesh Bhatt (32) was also nabbed for helping the girl who is from Kirtinagar abscond with the accused. Ayush Aggarwal informed that the management of a school under the Kirtinagar police station area filed a complaint in the police station on 26th October. It stated that a juvenile girl created a fake account on social media to propagate Islam. Afterwards, the authorities arranged for her to receive counselling before her family members who came to know about the development.

According to the police official, the girl is sixteen years old and enrolled in class 10th. On 28th October, her mother filed a complaint against Salman at the Kirtinagar police station. He was accused of harassing her daughter and attempting to convert her to Islam. A case was then filed by the police. He added that the girl went missing about 11 pm on the day her mother lodged the complaint. The enraged locals demonstrated and damaged the shops of Salman and other Muslims. The situation had become tense. The people had given a 12-hour ultimatum to the police to recover the girl and arrest the accused.

A police team started investigating the call details and CCTV footage of the accused and the girl. She was seen coming and exiting with two persons in the CCTV footage of a gym in Ufalda. They were recognized as Mohsin and Rakesh Bhatt from Ghildiyal village in Kirtinagar. The teen also changed her clothes at the gym after travelling there from her house after which she was taken to Najibabad. Rakesh Bhatt had first called her to his house and then went out with Mohsin from there. After identification, the cops went to Moazzampur Tulsi in the Garhi police station area of ​​Najibabad and recovered the girl. The accused were also caught, presented in a court and later thrown behind bars. A case was registered against them under the Uttarakhand Religious Freedom Act and the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Bill (POCSO) Act.

The victim was reportedly in contact with a Muslim girl in Srinagar across Alaknanda. The latter used to send her videos and links to social media handles, among other things related to Islam. She used to follow them and was indoctrinated. She had changed her name to ‘Muslim Amin Mirza’ on her social media handle and started preaching Islam. The school administration filed a police complaint after learning about it. Her family also became aware of her actions.

Meanwhile, it was found that she was in contact with Salman who was living in the same area. The two have been communicating with each other for the last seven months. Her family had launched a complaint against him under multiple charges including an attempt to change her religion. Salman and Mohsin used to tempt the girl in the name of mobile recharge and money. The latter works as a carpenter in Ufalda. He is currently on the run and the police are searching for him as well as conducting raids at various locations to capture him.