Nagpur Police arrest Madhya Pradesh-based cleric accused of conducting forced conversion and nikah
Nagpur Police have arrested a cleric from Madhya Pradesh who was wanted in the forced conversion case involving the 24-year-old wife of an Indian Air Force official.
The accused, identified as Hazrat Maulana, was taken into custody from Chhindwara district and is alleged to have played a key role in the woman’s purported conversion and nikah ceremony. His arrest comes after police had already detained the main accused, Ayaaz Madare (26), and his associate Ameen Shaikh.
The case sparked widespread attention after a video surfaced online showing a woman crying and pleading to be released while a man identified as Ayaaz Madare allegedly held her and recited religious verses. The footage triggered outrage and led to intensified police action.
According to the FIR, the woman alleged that Madare spiked her drink during a hotel meeting on February 8, 2025. She claimed that compromising photographs and videos were recorded while she was unconscious and later used to blackmail her. The complaint further alleges repeated sexual assault and extortion of nearly Rs 4 lakh.
The woman also alleged that Madare forced her to consume a liquid substance, performed rituals he described as hypnosis or black magic, and sexually assaulted her.
A separate incident mentioned in the complaint states that on May 31, she was taken to Kalmeshwar, where Hazrat Maulana allegedly conducted religious rituals and compelled her to say “qubool hai” against her will. The woman claims she was subsequently declared converted and informed that a nikah had been performed.
Police officials said the cleric’s interrogation could reveal further details about the alleged conversion process and the involvement of other individuals. Investigators are expected to examine the nikahnama and determine whether similar incidents involving other women may have occurred.
The case is currently being investigated under charges including rape, extortion, blackmail, forced religious conversion and provisions of anti-black magic laws.
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