In a horrific love jihad case, Sayam Qureshi lured a Hindu girl, raped and filmed her. He then used the video to blackmail the girl into accepting Islam. The case was reported from Kopargaon Taluka’s Khadki in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar.

According to available information, the girl was raped inside a madrasa in Khadki, the act was filmed, and the video was used to blackmail her. The accused Qureshi also threatened to kill her family members if she failed to do their bidding. The girl became scared and accepted Islam under pressure.

Qureshi, who hails from Indore, befriended the girl on the social media app Instagram. He brainwashed the girl saying Islam was better than Hindu Dharma. The victim was forcibly converted to Islam and Qureshi forced her to perform nikah with him.

Four persons including Qureshi have been arrested in connection with the case. Two of the accused were arrested from Indore and two from Kopargaon by the police. The girl was rescued by Sriram Sangh’s activists from the accused. Kopargaon police have registered a case in the matter and further investigations are underway.

The case comes close on the heels of DCM Fadnavis admitting that a large number of love jihad cases have been unearthed in Maharashtra. On Saturday, 3rd June, Maharashtra Deputy CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that investigations into missing person complaints have led to the unearthing of a large number of Love Jihad cases in the state.

During a media interaction in Mumbai, Fadnavis said that his government is sensitive about the missing person complaints adding that “the detection rate in such cases was 90 to 95 per cent in the state. Still, I agree that more efforts are required to stop the exploitation of innocent girls”. In January, BJP Women’s Wing President Chitra Wagh emphasized the need for a law against love (grooming) jihad in Maharashtra on the lines of the law in Uttar Pradesh (UP).