Love Jihad cases

Love Jihad cases refers to notable reported incidents in India where Muslim men have been accused of using romantic relationships or marriage to convert non-Muslim women to Islam, often with allegations of deception, coercion, or radicalisation. These cases remain highly controversial, with varying interpretations ranging from individual crimes to organised patterns.

Court Mentions of "Love Jihad"

The number of court documents (judgments and orders) mentioning the term "Love Jihad" across major Indian High Courts, based on available data from Indian Kanoon and related reports, has been steadily rising in India since 2023:

Year	All Courts	Kerala High Court	Allahabad High Court	Madhya Pradesh High Court	Karnataka High Court	Bombay High Court
2009	1	1	0	0	0	0
2012	1	0	0	0	1	0
2013	1	0	0	0	1	0
2014	1	0	0	0	0	0
2015	1	0	0	0	0	0
2017	2	1	0	0	0	0
2018	1	0	1	0	0	0
2019	1	0	0	1	0	0
2020	1	0	0	0	0	0
2021	3	0	0	0	2	0
2022	5	0	0	0	1	3
2023	6	0	0	2	2	2
2024	8	3	0	2	0	0
2025	16	10	2	4	0	0
2026	4	0	2	0	0	0

Notable Cases by Year

2009–2010

• Early cases emerged in Kerala and Karnataka. Hindu and Christian organisations claimed hundreds of women were lured. One of the first widely reported cases involved a Hindu woman in Karnataka whose father approached the High Court alleging "Love Jihad".

2014

• Tara Shahdeo Case (Jharkhand): National-level rifle shooter Tara Shahdeo filed an FIR alleging that her husband had married her under a false Hindu identity ("Ranjeet Singh Kohli") using Hindu rituals, but was actually a Muslim man named Raqibul Hasan. She alleged she was kept in confinement, physically assaulted, and pressured to undergo a religious conversion. Due to the high-profile nature and administrative links of the accused, the probe was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). On September 30, 2023, a Special CBI Court in Ranchi convicted Raqibul Hasan under IPC sections for rape and criminal conspiracy, sentencing him to life imprisonment. Co-conspirators, including his mother and a former High Court registrar who facilitated the deception, received sentences of 10 and 15 years respectively.

2017

• Hadiya Case (Kerala): Akhila (later Hadiya), a Hindu woman who converted to Islam and married Shafeen Jahan. Her father alleged forced conversion. The Kerala High Court annulled the marriage, but the Supreme Court restored it, upholding her right as an adult.

2020

• Uttar Pradesh and other states saw increased cases after anti-conversion ordinances. Several Muslim men were arrested under new laws for alleged forced conversions through marriage.

2021

• Multiple arrests reported in Uttar Pradesh under the new anti-conversion law. Cases involved allegations of fake identities and conversion pressure.

2022

• Shradha Walkar Murder (Delhi): Shradha Walkar, a Hindu woman, was allegedly murdered and dismembered by her live-in partner Aftab Poonawala. The case was widely linked to Love Jihad patterns by many media outlets and politicians.

2023

• Several cases reported from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan involving allegations of stalking, forced conversion, and violence. The release of the film The Kerala Story brought renewed attention to older Kerala cases.
• Reports of vigilante actions and attacks on interfaith couples also increased during this period.

2024

• Yashashree Shinde Case (Maharashtra): In Uran, Maharashtra, a young Dalit woman named Yashashree Shinde was murdered. The accused, Dawood Shaikh, who had a prior relationship history with the victim, was arrested. The incident triggered significant local protests, with community leaders invoking the "Love Jihad" narrative. The state police processed the case under standard murder charges alongside sections of the POCSO Act and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

2025

• Jhangur Baba Conversion Racket (Balrampur, UP): Jamaluddin alias Chhangur Baba / Jhangur Baba from Rehra Mafi village in Balrampur (Utraula area), was arrested by UP ATS along with associate Neetu alias Nasreen from a Lucknow hotel. The mastermind of a large illegal religious conversion racket. According to UP ATS, he sent Muslim youths disguised as Hindus to trap Hindu girls (especially Brahmin/Thakur), befriended them, took to his dargah for conversion to Islam, performed nikah, then blackmailed with fake cases or harm. ₹15-16 lakh for Brahmin/Kshatriya/Sikh girls, ₹10-12 lakh for OBC, ₹8-10 lakh for others paid via foreign funding. He also published brainwashing book 'Shijr-e-Tayyaba'. ₹100-106 crore in 40+ bank accounts (foreign funds), luxury properties (including illegal mansion on gram samaj/govt land in Madhpur were demolished by bulldozers), Lonavala land (₹16+ crore), showrooms, cars. 40+ foreign trips. Earlier arrests included son Mehboob, Naveen Rohra.

2026

• Uttar Pradesh Gym Syndicate Case (January): In Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, a gym syndicate running an illegal religious conversion and AI-backed blackmail racket since 2021 was busted. The gang targeted as many as 30 Hindu women (most victims who joined their chain of five gyms namely KGN-1.0, KGN-2.0, KGN-3.0, B-Fit, and Iron Fire for physical training). They befriended the women, gained access to personal photos/videos, used AI tools to create morphed explicit/obscene videos and photos, then blackmailed them for sexual exploitation and to coerce religious conversion. Six accused arrested, including GRP head constable Irshad Khan (40, provided logistical support/protection) and gym owners/trainers: Mohammad Sheikh Ali Alam (31), Faizal Khan (34), Zaheer (32), Shadab (36), and prime accused Farid Ahmed (28, arrested after firing on police during raid/encounter). Obscene AI-edited videos, photos, and chats recovered from mobiles as key evidence. Four of the five gyms run by 3 brothers and brother-in-law. All five gyms sealed till Feb 27 by DM.

• Basti, UP grooming case (February) Ajfarul Haq alias Prince from Basti, UP, allegedly trapped over 100 Hindu girls by hiding his identity. He wore a kalava (sacred thread) on his wrist to pose as Hindu, befriended them (often at a private hospital), built relationships with promises of love/marriage/job, entered physical relations, recorded obscene videos, then blackmailed them for further exploitation, forcing into wrong acts or prostitution, and sending some to other states/border areas. Operated as an organised gang with family and others. One victim's complaint led to exposure; police arrested Ajfarul Haq and 7 others, sent to jail.

• TCS Nashik Workplace Case (April 2026): At a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) campus in Nashik, Maharashtra, a major scandal broke out involving allegations of systematic sexual grooming, mental abuse, and pressure for forced religious conversion to Islam. Multiple female employees filed FIRs against campus team leaders. The Nashik Police deployed female officers undercover inside the facility to gather evidence. Authorities registered nine FIRs and arrested seven employees, including team leaders and an Assistant General Manager. The incident was heavily discussed in national media and by political representatives under the terms "Corporate Jihad" and "Love Jihad."

• Kheda, Gujarat Gang Rape & Blackmail Case (July): In Kheda, Gujarat, nine youths from the same village were accused of sexually assaulting and gang-raping a 17-year-old minor girl repeatedly for three years (2023-2025). Parvez Anwar Khan alias Munawwar Khan Pathan lured her into a "love trap", took nude photos/videos with eight accomplices (Mahir Fakubhai Pathan, Faizan Zahir Khan Pathan, Taufiq/Tausif Hussain Khan Pathan, Sahil Liyaqat Khan alias Dawood Pathan, Ayan Liyaqat Khan Pathan, Moin Firoz Khan Pathan, Maruf alias Noorani Mubarak Pathan, Salman Arif Khan Pathan), and blackmailed her with threats to make them viral or harm her life. They summoned her to various locations for exploitation. Eight arrested; one (Sahil) absconding. Case registered under POCSO Act and gang rape.

• Amravati Sexual Exploitation Case (April 2026): In Paratwada, Amravati district, Maharashtra, a 19-year-old youth named Ayan Ahmed Tanveer Ahmed (alias Mohammad Ayaz) was arrested following allegations of luring minor girls, capturing obscene multimedia files against their will, and distributing them across digital platforms like Snapchat. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was demanded by public representatives. While local groups characterized the ring under the "Love Jihad" narrative targeting non-Muslim girls, police investigations noted that the digital leak affected several victims across multiple communities. In April 2026, Maharashtra Police arrested Mohammad Ayaz (alias Tanveer), a 19-year-old resident of Paratwada in Amravati district. He was accused of luring at least 180 minor girls through WhatsApp and Snapchat groups, taking them to Mumbai and Pune, filming over 350 obscene videos, and blackmailing them into prostitution. Some videos were allegedly shared online. The arrest followed a complaint by Rajya Sabha MP Anil Bonde. Ayaz was remanded to police custody, and his mobile phone was seized. Authorities later demolished portions of his illegal property.

• Kota Telegram Conversion Case (June 2026): The Rajasthan Police arrested an individual named Manish Sharma alias Moin Khan in Kota's Vigyan Nagar. Local organizations, including the Bajrang Dal, alleged that the accused operated an organized conversion and blackmail network targeting non-Muslim women through encrypted digital channels on Telegram, Snapchat, and Discord using thousands of illicitly recorded explicit videos. The case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the IT Act, and state freedom of religion laws, while the family of the accused denied the conversion syndicate charges. In June 2026, Moin Khan was arrested in Kota, Rajasthan, following a complaint by Bajrang Dal activist Yogesh Renwal. Activists claimed that over 40,000 obscene videos of Hindu women were found on his devices, along with allegations of religious conversion, circumcision, targeting Hindu women via Telegram, Snapchat, and Discord, and possible Pakistan links. Police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and IT Act but stated that investigations had not substantiated claims of religious conversion or foreign links. The probe into the large volume of pornographic material continued.

• Gaya Momo Vendor Exploitation Case (June 2026): In Gaya district, Bihar, a roadside momo vendor named Mohammad Rehan was arrested following intense local outrage and complaints. Rehan allegedly lured multiple young and minor girls into relationship traps by offering them free fast-food items ("free momos") over an extended period. He was accused of recording explicit, compromising videos of at least ten victims without their consent and subsequently uploading or sharing the media content online. The incident triggered significant socio-political reactions regarding digital security and grooming, and local organizations labeled it as a predatory "Love Jihad" tactic. In late June 2026, Rehan Ansari, a momo vendor from Banke Bazar in Gaya district, Bihar, was accused of luring nearly 20 minor girls (including Mahadalit girls) with free momos and social media reels, then filming obscene videos. The case came to light on 22 June 2026 when locals caught him with a minor girl at Banke Dham hill. Over 70 videos were reportedly recovered from his phone. An FIR was registered under the POCSO Act, IT Act, and other sections. Ansari initially fled (reportedly to Delhi) but later surrendered. Videos were sent for forensic examination.

Statutory Framework for Prosecution

When individual complaints involving allegations of identity concealment, sexual exploitation, or forced conversion are filed, they are legally categorized under the following statutory frameworks:

• Rape by Fraudulent Consent (Section 376 IPC / Section 64 BNS): Applied when a complainant establishes that sexual intercourse occurred based on a false promise of marriage or a falsified identity.
• Cheating (Section 420 IPC / Section 318 BNS): For cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property or identity concealment.
• State Freedom of Religion Acts: Specific provisions penalizing unlawful conversions with enhanced prison sentences if the victim is a minor, a woman, or belongs to a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe.

Government Response

Many BJP-ruled states have passed anti-conversion laws specifically addressing conversions through marriage. Uttar Pradesh’s 2021 law is one of the strictest.