23-year-old man booked for raping, attempting to convert college student in UP's Ballia

Ballia (UP): A 23-year-old man here was booked for allegedly raping and pressurising 19-year-old college student to convert her religion and marry him, police said on Friday.

The accused has been identified as Azad Ansari, a resident of Hardiya Jamin village under Sikandarpur police station limits.

According to the FIR lodged on Thursday, the first-year college student alleged that Ansari took her to a hotel room in Bilthara Road area on December 17 last year, under the pretext of offering her a job. He drugged her tea, raped her and recorded the incident on his mobile phone.

Sikandarpur Station House Officer Vikas Chandra Pandey said, "On March 11, while the victim was on her way to check her exam results, Azad allegedly blackmailed her and took her to Mumbai. There, he pressurised her to convert to Islam and marry him." "The victim has been sent for a medical examination, and investigations are underway," Pandey said.

He added that Ansari has been booked under sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.