ULHASNAGAR: In an alleged case of ‘love jihad’ to have emerged from Ulhasnagar, a 27-year-old Hindu woman has accused a Muslim man of concealing his identity, posing as a Hindu to develop a relationship with her in order to marry her and forcing her after their marriage to follow Muslim customs and traditions.The accused, Imran Sheikh, 33, has been arrested by officers of the Central police station here along with two of his brothers, who are among seven named as accused in the case filed by the woman on Monday. The accused have been booked for cheating and hurting religious sentiments, among other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.According to the woman’s complaint, Imran, who works at a garage, allegedly introduced himself to her in 2019 as ‘Vijay’. Police said the accused allegedly befriended her, developed a relationship with her and later the same year took her to his native place in Bihar, where he then revealed his real identity and got married to her in keeping with Muslim rituals.Police said according to the complainant, after the marriage she was allegedly pressured to adopt Muslim customs. In her complaint, she claimed she was forced to wear a burqa and hijab and to stop worshipping Hindu deities and follow Islamic traditions against her wishes.She further alleged she was pressured to consume beef and the accused frequently made objectionable remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses. The complainant stated that Imran’s family members, including his two brothers, parents and other relatives, also forced her to follow Muslim practices.According to the complaint, the alleged harassment intensified after the birth of their child. The victim also accused Imran of marrying another woman. When she questioned him about it, he allegedly told her that the second woman was also his wife and that he was permitted to marry multiple times.The family eventually returned to Ulhasnagar, and the woman claimed that even after returning, she continued to face mental and physical harassment from the accused and his family. Feeling cheated and traumatised, she said, she finally approached the police.Based on her statement, the Central police registered a case against Imran, his brothers Salman Sheikh and Shahbaz Sheikh, their parents and two others.Senior police inspector Shankar Awtade of Central police station said the case has been registered under various sections of the BNS, including Section 85 (cruelty by husband or relatives), 75(2) (sexual harassment), 299 (hurting religious sentiments), 318(4) (cheating), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace).The three accused arrested in the case were produced before a court, which has remanded them to police custody.Further investigation into the matter is underway, police said.In March 2026, the state assembly passed the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill which aims to prevent religious conversion carried out through coercion, inducement, fraud or deception. According to the Bill, persons involved in unlawful conversions on pretext of marriage will be punished with imprisonment of seven years and shall also be liable for a fine.
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Any marriage with the sole purpose of unlawful conversion shall be declared as null and void by the court on a petition and any child born out of such marriage shall be deemed to belong to the religion on mother before such marriage, the law states.In April, Maharashtra governor Jishnu Dev Varma sent the Bill to President Droupadi Murmu for consideration and assent.
