Bareilly police have arrested 22-year-old Rehan from Kyoladiya village for raping and attempting to forcibly convert a 17-year-old Hindu girl to Islam under the guise of a romantic relationship. The incident unfolded over two years and culminated in the girl’s rescue from a train in Mathura on January 7, 2026. Rehan planned to take her to Ajmer Sharif for conversion before marriage, but swift police action using mobile tracking prevented it.
Incident Timeline
Rehan, who works as a plumber in Jaipur and studied only up to class 5, began targeting the minor Hindu girl from his village around two years ago by weaving tales to build trust. On Wednesday, January 7, he eloped with her, prompting her family to file a missing person report at Kyoladiya police station, accusing Rehan, his brother Rizwan, and associate Babbu of abduction. Police traced her phone’s last location to the village before it shut off, then tracked Rehan’s device moving toward Mathura via a train departing Bareilly at 3:20 PM. Mathura GRP rescued the girl from the train after receiving photos and descriptions, while Rehan fled but was later apprehended near the station based on location data.
Police Investigation and Charges
Initial charges under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for kidnapping were amended following the girl’s statement, adding sections from the POCSO Act for rape, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, and other relevant provisions. Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya highlighted the use of electronic surveillance and inter-district coordination in the rescue. Interrogation revealed Rehan’s criminal mindset and extremist tendencies, including brainwashing the girl with Islamic stories to influence conversion before nikah. He was jailed promptly after arrest on January 8, 2026.
Victim and Accused Background
The 17-year-old survivor girl hails from Kyoladiya village in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh, where Rehan also resides when not in Jaipur, his work base for the past five years. Family members noted his frequent village visits, exploiting proximity to ensnare her over two years with promises and manipulation. No prior criminal record is specified for Rehan, but police described him as having a radical disposition, planning post-conversion marriage after sexual exploitation.
Broader Context in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh enforces stringent anti-conversion laws since 2021, with the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act targeting forced or fraudulent conversions, often invoked in such love jihad (sexual grooming for conversion of Islam) cases. This incident mirrors patterns in Bareilly, where police busted a large-scale conversion racket in September 2025, arresting four and invoking similar BNS sections alongside the conversion act. Such cases underscore rising vigilance, with electronic tracking becoming standard for swift interventions in abduction reports. Nationally, POCSO Act convictions have surged, with Uttar Pradesh courts handing severe sentences like 20-year terms in nearby Budaun for child sexual offenses as recently as January 9, 2026.
