A 17-year-old Class 12 student from a village in Kannauj, who had been missing for nearly two weeks, was traced and rescued after her photographs surfaced online. In the viral images, the Hindu minor was seen wearing a burqa alongside an Islamist youth identified as Imran, with the caption ‘Happy Wedding Anniversary.’ The circulation of these pictures caused strong concern and anger in the locality. Her family had earlier lodged a missing person complaint, alleging that Imran had lured her away from home. Following the outrage, police launched a search operation and successfully recovered the girl.
According to Jagran reports, the police tracked down Imran and attempted to apprehend him. During the operation, there was an encounter in which Imran sustained a bullet injury in his leg. He was subsequently arrested and referred to Tirwa Medical College for treatment under police security. The minor will now be produced before the court to record her official statement.
During the investigation, officials found that Imran had previously trapped several girls in a similar manner. He reportedly targeted young Hindu girls on social media, gained their trust, and then took photographs with them to manipulate or pressure them. Many of these incidents never reached the police, as the families of the affected girls feared social stigma and chose to remain silent.
In the present case, a formal FIR has been registered against Imran under charges of molestation, relevant provisions of the POCSO Act, and the Information Technology Act. Police suspect that the accused may have been in contact with multiple other minor girls through online platforms.
Authorities are currently examining his mobile phone, call records, and chat history to identify additional victims and determine whether this is part of a larger pattern or organized network.
Cases like Imran’s highlight the urgent need for thorough and sustained investigations into such incidents. Over the past few years, several organized radical Islamic networks have come under scrutiny for targeting Hindu minor girls through grooming, manipulation, and emotional coercion. In earlier high-profile cases involving individuals such as Maulana Jalaluddin, agencies found patterns where young girls were allegedly lured, converted, or relocated as part of a wider network operating across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and neighboring regions. Such examples demonstrate that these are not isolated events but rather part of a methodical pattern driven by online influence, Islamist grooming tactics, and ideological motivation.
Therefore, in cases like Imran’s, a thorough investigation beyond the individual arrest is essential, involving the tracing of digital communication trails, identification of accomplices, and uncovering any wider links or organized networks. Protecting minor girls from such exploitation requires swift policing, strong community awareness, and zero tolerance for the radical Islamic predatory grooming in the name of religion or relationships.
