Kanpur police forms SIT to probe 'love jihad' cases

An eight-member SIT formed by the Kanpur police is looking into allegations of forced conversion on the pretext of marriage and has come across over a dozen such cases, an official said.

The SIT was formed about a fortnight ago after some members of Hindu organisations met Kanpur IG Mohit Agarwal, alleging “love jihad” incidents.

The issue had surfaced after a Kanpur woman, Shalini Yadav, married a Muslim man recently. The couple, however, approached a Delhi court, denying allegations of forced conversion.

According to the official, the special investigation team (SIT) will investigate the alleged role of Islamic organisations in it.

The SIT led by Deepak Bhuker, Superintendent of Police, Kanpur (South), has been told to look into any fixed pattern or modus operandi behind the alleged incidents, the official said.

The SIT, which has till now come across at least a dozen such cases, mostly from the Juhi area in Kanpur, has decided to investigate if any Islamic organisation has a role in funding the 'love jihad' racket in Kanpur, the official said. There is a strong possibility that some Islamic outfits may be providing financial assistance to a handful of organisations involved in such anti-national acts, the official claimed.

Meanwhile, SP Deepak Bhuker said the help of a special SWAT team has been sought for surveillance, he added.

The SIT has contacted local police stations and sought details of all alleged “love jihad” cases reported in the past two years, he said.

Bhuker said the probe team has been extracting records related to a dozen phone numbers to establish links.

They have been gathering information about such couples, their bank accounts and recording statements of their family members, Bhuker said, adding that phone numbers of their aides have also been extracted.

Bhuker, however, said in the case involving Shalini Yadav, the couple had approached the Delhi High Court and later appeared before a magistrate at the Tees Hazari court there, denying the allegations.

He said the woman had said that she was a major and married a man of her choice.

Since the woman is a major and there is nothing for police to do, a closure report will be sent to the court soon, the SP said.

Police are looking into the conspiracy angle to ascertain if youths involved in this are being funded from abroad, the SP said.

Police are also trying to find out if the youth in any case hid their identity, the SP said.

Recently, the Kanpur police had arrested two people-- Mohsin Khan and Aamir--in an alleged 'love jihad' case, said another senior official.

Mohsin Khan allegedly befriended a girl, posing as Sameer and then married her, the senior official added.

His friend Aamir became befriended a younger sister of Mohsin's wife but the girl realised their plan and stopped meeting him. She was then allegedly threatened with dire consequences if she did not marry Aamir. Another case was reported from the Naubasta area where Fateh Khan possessed two Aadhaar cards, one of these in the name of Aryan Malhotra, said Kanpur’s Govind Nagar Circle Officer Vikas Pandey.

The Hindu family in whose house he had rented a room for two years had later accused him of abusing their minor daughter.

Upon investigation, it was found that he had two identity cards, one of which was fake.

His real name was Fateh Khan and he is a resident of Bijnor. He was sent to jail on charges of rape, Pandey added. 

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