UP Couple Arrested for Alleged Forced Conversion, Illegal Confinement of Dalit Woman

Moradabad, Jul 11: A Muslim couple has been arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district after a Dalit woman alleged that she was illegally confined, assaulted and forced to undergo religious conversion at gunpoint, police said on Saturday.

According to police, an FIR has been registered against Sultan Salauddin, his wife Mehnaz, a cleric and two unidentified persons under multiple provisions, including the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and charges related to abduction, molestation and criminal intimidation.

The complainant, a resident of Prakash Nagar, alleged that she had known the couple for nearly three years. She claimed that on February 6, Mehnaz called her to their residence, where Sultan Salauddin, his wife, a cleric and two unidentified men allegedly confined her and forced her to undergo religious conversion after threatening her with a licensed pistol.

The woman further alleged that she was pressured to marry Sultan Salauddin after the conversion. When she resisted, she was allegedly abused with caste-based slurs, assaulted and kept confined for several days, during which she was also allegedly molested. She claimed she later escaped and was threatened with dire consequences if she approached the police.

Moradabad SP City Kumar Ranvijay Singh said the complaint was received on July 11 and an FIR was immediately registered. He said Sultan Salauddin and Mehnaz have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody, while police teams are searching for the cleric and the two unidentified accused.

Police also said Sultan Salauddin has a previous criminal record, including an attempt-to-murder case registered in Badaun district. (Agencies)