In the past few months, a shocking sexual exploitation racket has come to light in Bhopal and several smaller towns of Madhya Pradesh. Police say that an organised gang, often called a "love jihad" group, was targeting Hindu women and girls. The gang members used to become friends with Hindu women, enter into relationships with them, sexually exploit them, record obscene videos, and later blackmail them. They would then pressurise the women to convert to Islam.

More than 12 suspects have been arrested across different cities in Madhya Pradesh. These arrests happened after several victims came forward and lodged police complaints.

Divorced woman shares her story

One such case was reported from Bhopal. A 35-year-old divorced woman, who lives with her 14-year-old son, shared her story. In her police complaint, the woman said that a man named Nadeem became friends with her and raped her many times by falsely promising to marry her. Later, she said, he asked her to convert to Islam and also demanded that her son undergo circumcision before marriage.

The woman told AajTak that she met Nadeem three years ago. At first, he seemed to be supportive and used to visit her home regularly. After some time, they got into a physical relationship. But later, the woman found out that Nadeem was already married.

On May 13, 2025, Nadeem allegedly raped her at her home and even recorded videos of the act. She said that he then used these videos to threaten her and force her to convert to Islam.

According to the woman, Nadeem also told her to wear a burqa, stop observing her Thursday fasts, and not leave the house without his permission. She refused to follow these demands. When Nadeem turned violent and abusive, she approached the police. A case was filed against him under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act.

Police bust gang targeting college girls

In another case, police arrested a man named Farhan after a college student filed a complaint. During the investigation, police found many videos on his phone in which he is seen sexually assaulting women. So far, five women have come forward and spoken to the police.

Police later arrested four more people connected to the gang – Sahil, Ali, Saad, and Nabeel.

According to police, Farhan was the leader of the gang. He and others used to target Hindu women from small towns who were studying in Bhopal. They would lure these women into fake relationships, rape them, and record videos to blackmail them. Farhan also told the victims to bring other girls to him.

Sahil ran a dance class in Ashok Garden and used this to target Hindu girls. Ali also targeted one of his students and sent her videos to Farhan. Saad, a mechanic, helped transport women to Farhan’s house and was also involved in selling drugs. Nabeel and another man named Abrar provided their rooms where these women were assaulted.

Another gang member, Hamid, died by suicide last year. The gang used to take their victims to hookah lounges and pubs, where they were drugged and then assaulted.

When police questioned Farhan, he showed no regret. Instead, he proudly said that his actions earned him “sawab” (religious reward).

Reacting to the case, BJP MLA from Bhopal, Rameshwar Sharma, said, “Those who talk of sawab should know that only a graveyard awaits them. We will not let love jihad thrive in Madhya Pradesh.”

Woman police officer also trapped

In another case, a woman sub-inspector posted in Mandideep (Raisen district) was also trapped. A man named Ishtiyak Ahmed married her by using the fake name “Aman”. Two years later, the woman came to know his real identity while checking some official documents and then filed a police case.

To stop such crimes, the BJP government led by Shivraj Singh Chauhan passed the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act in 2021. Under this law, anyone found guilty of forcing religious conversion can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined Rs 1 lakh.

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