Palanpur: Gujarat Police have arrested a man after a 30-year-old pregnant woman in Banaskantha district alleged that she was repeatedly raped, physically assaulted and forced to undergo religious conversion.
The complaint names four men, including three brothers and their uncle. Police have arrested the main accused, Akhtarshah Fakir, while efforts are continuing to locate the other three suspects.
Woman alleges repeated assault
According to the complaint, the woman was five months pregnant when the alleged incidents took place last month. She said Akhtarshah, who was known to her estranged husband, initially approached her by claiming that his grandfather could provide traditional remedies for her health problems.
The woman subsequently alleged that Akhtarshah and the other three accused repeatedly sexually assaulted and physically abused her.
She also alleged that the accused recorded a private video and later used it to threaten and blackmail her, warning that it could be circulated on social media.
Police investigate conversion allegation
The woman further alleged that she was coerced into a religious conversion and that a local cleric was brought to conduct a nikah. She claimed that she was given a spiked drink during the ceremony and that her name was changed.
According to the FIR, the woman was allegedly beaten and thrown out of the house on July 21, with the accused refusing to accept responsibility for her or her unborn child.
Police registered the case at Dhanera police station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act. The investigation is continuing, and the allegations against the accused are yet to be established in court.