Varanasi: An accused in a case of religious conversion who managed to escape from Kotwali police station during interrogation on Apr 25, Aftab Alam was arrested by police from ring road underpass on Jansa-Lohta road on Monday midnight.ACP (Kotwali), Vijay Pratap on Tuesday said that on the complaint of a woman that after marrying her posing as a Hindu, Aftab and his parents started pressurising her to embrace Islam, and when she did not bow under their pressure, they started physically assaulting her. On her complaint, a case on the charges of cheating, kidnapping, rape, assault, criminal intimidation, provoking breach of public peace and also under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act was lodged against Aftab, his parents and brother.Police summoned Aftab and his family to Kotwali police station for questioning on Apr 25, said the ACP, adding that when investigators were busy completing paper formalities, Aftab fled the scene. His parents, Nabi Rasool and Ameena Begum alias Ganganjali, were arrested on the same day.He said that charges of criminal conspiracy were thereafter added in the case and a cash reward of Rs25,000 was announced on Aftab. Teams engaged to nab Aftab and his brother succeeded in tracing his location and arrested him. During investigation, two more criminal cases were found lodged against him with Badagaon and Shivpur police stations in 2024.In her complaint, the woman said that while working for catering service providers she came in contact with Aftab as he was also in the same business. Aftab introduced himself as Amit and after increasing closeness he started making physical relations with her under the pretext of getting work for her and also promising to marry. He later married her according to Hindu rituals at a temple in Mar 2025.However, after some time, the woman discovered that his real identity was Aftab Ansari. When she raised objections, Aftab began assaulting and pressuring her to convert. She alleged that Aftab’s family members also threatened to kill her and her parents.She further alleged that she was held captive for a month at a house in Harhua where Aftab’s brother Mitthu also raped her. She mentioned that Aftab’s brother used to threaten to sell her in Mumbai. Chats related to the buying and selling of other girls were found on Aftab’s mobile phone. She somehow escaped from there, informed her family about the entire incident, and filed a complaint with the police.
