Surat: Man held for ‘forcing’ woman to change religion under anti-conversion law

Valsad police Friday arrested a man under the under Gujarat Freedom of Religion Amendment Act for allegedly forcing a woman who eloped with him to change her religion for marriage. According to police, 25-year-old woman was rescued, along with her three-year old daughter, from Bihar.

The woman and the daughter had gone missing from a labour quarters in a factory premises in Vapi, on July 2. The woman’s husband had lodged a missing person complaint at the Vapi town police. In the complaint, the husband had mentioned the name of the accused, who was their neighbour, as suspect.

The accused was identified as Javedali Hakim (26), a native of Buxar district in Bihar.

Vapi town police inspector B J Sarvaiya The Indian Express, “The accused and the woman were having an affair and they were working in the same factory in Vapi GIDC. The woman’s husband also works in the same factory. They accused and the woman eloped on July 2 and reached Buxar in Bihar, the native place of the accused.”

“The accused is already married man and his wife stays in Bihar. He stayed with the woman and her daughter in the hotel and told her to marry him. He also pressured her to change her religion, which she did not agreed to,” he added.

A team of Vapi police reached Buxar and caught the accused and recused the woman and her daughter from a hotel.

Police have registered an offence under IPC sections 365, 506(2), and Section 4 of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Amendment Act 2021.

Hakim was produced before the court on Friday and was remanded in police custody until Saturday.