Recently, a video surfaced on social media wherein two Delhi women, namely Aarti Chaudhary and her mother are heard making some serious allegations against their neighbours Shamshad and his son. The women revealed how they have been subjected to constant harassment by Shamshad and his aides for raising voices against the illicit business they had been running in the pretext of operating a textile store.
The incident in question occurred in the Garhi village near East of Kailash in Delhi, where one Niwaspal Chaudhary lives with his wife, his mentally handicapped son and daughter Aarti Chaudhary on the first floor of a stand-alone building. On the ground floor of the same building, Shamshad and his son run a clothing store.
Victim claims Shamshad and kin ran conversion racket under the guise of running the clothes store in Delhi
When OpIndia reached out to the victim’s family, Aarti accused Shamshad and his son, Nadeem, of harassment from the time she started protesting against the duo’s unlawful business. She alleged that the father-son duo make pornographic films and run a conversion racket under the guise of running the clothes store.
Aarti told us that she started receiving molestation and death threats ever since she first raised objections against their illegal businesses.
Accused brought young girls to their shop and used them for child pornography
Aarti alleged that Shamshad and his son brought young girls to their shop and used them for child pornography. They also forcefully converted them to Islam. She added that one day, when Aarti heard the cries of those helpless girls, she went down to Shamshad’s shop and confronted the father-son duo. She also made a video of the act, she said.
Aarti then filed a complaint against Shamshad and his son at Amar Colony police station in July 2020. In her complaint, she accused Shamshad and his son of carrying out unlawful acts under the guise of running a clothing store. She also complained of being harassed ever since she exposed the father-son duo. She wrote in her complaint that the accused have been using highly abusive and derogatory language against her family, issuing constant rape threats and also threatening to kill them if they do not take their complaint back.
Recounting the harrowing ordeal, Aarti told that in this one year, the police have not taken any action against the accused. She said that she has also written to DCP, Delhi Commission for Women in this regard, but to no avail.
It may be noted that OpIndia is in possession of all the documents and the copy of the complaint filed by the victim’s family against Shamshad and his son.
Mob barged into the victim’s house and gave rape threats amidst ‘Allahu Akbar’ chants
Further narrating the horror, Aarti reminisced how on June 30, 2021, Shamshad and his sons along with 60-70 people barged into her house. They raised ‘Allahu Akhbar’ slogans and threaten them with dire consequences if they did not take back the complaint filed against Shamshad and his son, she alleged.
She said that most of these people, whom she did not know personally, came from Shaheen Bagh and Okhla, the two Muslim dominated areas of Delhi, where Shamshad resides. She had also lodged a complaint regarding this with the police, but like always, this complaint too fell on deaf ears, she said.
The mother, meanwhile, recounting the horror, also lamented that the harassment started after Aarti filed a complaint against Shamshad and his sides. “They barged into our house and asked, where is the girl who filed the complaint. They shouted that they will turn her into a wh*re, rip her clothes and rape her in front of them. They also allegedly threatened to forcefully convert her to Islam. She added that the mob also raised Allahu Akbar slogans and assaulted them.
It becomes imperative to note here that when the OpIndia journalist went to visit Aarti, a man had tried to stop him. The man, who was sitting in Shamshad’s shop, brusquely, warned our journalist to not go upstairs. However, when the OpIndia staff introduced himself, the dubious man insisted on accompanying him to Aarti’s house.
Aarti’s mother furthered that they have been forcefully confined in their own house for the last 10 days. “The goons have locked our house from outside. They have installed CCTV cameras, through which they are keeping a tab on us,” said Aarti’s mother adding that whatever be the consequences she is proud of her daughter took a stand against the criminal act.
Shamshad claims the entire dispute is related to property
After speaking to the victim’s family, OpIndia also spoke to Shamshad and his son Nadeem, to hear their side of the story. They claimed that the entire dispute is related to property.
According to the Shamshad, the entire building belonged to him and his partner. He claimed he had all the documents of the building to support his claims. Shamshad told us that entire dispute began after the Chaudhary family failed to pay the rent since past few months. “When we asked them to pay, Aarti levelled false allegations against us. She lodged a false complaint at the police station against me and my son”, claimed Shamshad, adding that they too filed a counter complaint accusing Aarti Chaudhary of assault, indulging in obscene activities and giving a communal angle to the dispute.
Shamshad claimed that following the dispute, he installed CCTV cameras in the building which were removed by the members of the Chaudhary family.
Meanwhile, refuting the accusations, Aarti said that Shamshad was lying and that her father had actually brought the flat from him. However, later when they came to know that the building constructed illegally, they asked Shamshad to return their money which he did not. She said that the property dispute was an entirely different episode and had no connection with his incident. To hide his wrongdoings, Shamshad is linking this to the property dispute, alleged Aarti.
What Delhi police told OpIndia
To delve into the case deeper, OpIndia also got in touch with Sandeep Kumar, Additional SHO of Amar Colony police station, who said that the police is investigating the case. However, he refused to share any details of the case with us.
