A Muslim youth from Nepal, Mohammad Israfil Ansari alias Dara Ansari, tricked a 16-year-old Hindu girl from Nepal into a relationship on Instagram by pretending to be Hindu. He convinced her to marry him and brought her to Bharat, where they married in Ghorakhal temple and started living together in Uttarakhand.

When the girl went missing, her family started searching for her. A month later, the victim’s mother received a threatening call from a Bharatiya number, asking her to forget about her daughter. The family then sought help from the anti-human trafficking unit of SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) in Bihar and informed the Embassy of Nepal.

After a joint operation by 47th Corps Sashastra Seema Bal Raxaul, Mission Mukti Foundation Delhi, District Child Welfare Committee Nainital, and Uttarakhand Police, Israfil was caught from Dhungshil in Bhimtal. The victim was rescued on March 6, and Israfil was arrested. He faces charges under the Rape, kidnapping, POCSO Act, and Child Marriage Retribution Act.

During counselling by the District Child Welfare Committee, the girl revealed that Israfil had married her in Ghorakhal temple and was planning to take her to Kerala. Israfil, who had previously married two other girls and left them, confessed to his actions during police interrogation. He had been living in Bhimtal since December and working as a labourer.

The girl is currently under the care of the Child Welfare Committee at Nari Niketan in Haldwani. The Nainital Police are investigating Israfil’s motive and why he wanted to take the girl to Kerala.