UP live-in partner arrested under anti-conversion law, rape charge

The police in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida on Wednesday arrested a 30-year-old woman's live-in partner over allegations of rape and coercing her into changing her religion for marriage, officials said.

The accused, who has been arrested by officials of the Bisrakh police station, has been booked under the Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance, 2020, among others, they said.

"Accused Murtaza alias Mritunjay (33) is a native of Moradabad district in western UP and had been living in a rented accommodation in Bisrakh area. The accused and the complainant were in a live-in relationship,” a police spokesperson said.

"When the woman insisted him for marriage, the man forced her for religious conversion after which she approached the police with allegations of rape and forced conversion attempt," the spokesperson said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Women and Child Safety) Vrinda Shukla said the FIR was lodged on June 14 and multiple teams were formed to ensure the arrest of the accused the very next day.

The FIR, lodged at the Bisrakh police station, also invokes Indian Penal Code sections 323 (causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), 376 (rape), 406 (criminal breach of trust) against the accused, the police said.

Further legal proceedings have been initiated and will be completed soon, DCP Shukla added.

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The complainant claimed that she worked in a pharmaceutical company where, in 2019, she met the accused who was referred to as “Mrityunjay” by colleagues, according to the FIR.

“Eventually we both became friends and later decided to get married and therefore moved in together. One day, she randomly found his Aadhaar card at home which mentioned his name as 'Murtaza',” she claimed.

“When confronted with the finding, he told her it was none of her business if he is Murtaza or Mrityunjay and threatened her. He then blackmailed her by showing objectionable pictures and videos of her that he had taken,” according to the FIR.

The woman claimed she had also met his parents once who too insisted on her converting her religion for the marriage. She further claimed that she had helped the man with around Rs 2.50 lakh over the years, the FIR stated.