On Monday (25th December), a Hindu woman named Lakshmi alleged that her 24-year-old husband, identified as Akash Maurya, had been deceitfully converted to Islam. The incident took place in the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh.
The matter came to light after a 15-second video of Akash Maurya went viral on social media wherein he was seen sporting a skull cap. The video contained a background song titled ‘Mera Dil toh Mohammed‘ and a caption that read – ‘Today, I have become a Muslim.’
Soon after, the wife of Akash Maurya along with other family members filed a complaint with the Subhash Nagar police and accused a Muslim woman named Shabana Khan of tricking the Hindu man into a love trap.
Lakshmi informed the cops that Akash Maurya had not returned home since 21st December 2023. She said the Hindu man took gold and silver coins and ₹23,000 cash while leaving home.
Akash Maurya worked as a delivery boy in a courier company. According to Lakshmi, he met the 21-year-old Shabana Khan while doing deliveries in Math Lakshmipur, which falls under the jurisdiction of Izzatnagar police station.
The Hindu man had reportedly been talking to the woman over the phone for the past 4 months. As per Lakshmi, Shabana Khan has tricked him into her love trap. The family received a shocker after the video of Akash Maurya, pledging allegiance to Islam, surfaced on social media.
Shabana Khan reportedly reached out to Lakshmi via video call and informed her that Akash Maurya had converted to Islam. She also threatened to hurt the Hindu man if his wife tried to contact him. Akash Maurya’s mother Sapna said that he infrequently visited home after coming in contact with Shabana Khan.
She added that Akash was coerced into converting to Islam and that she heard him crying in the background when Shabana called his wife Lakshmi. Forced by circumstances, the family filed a complaint with the police.
While speaking about the matter, Superintendent of Police Rahul Bhati informed that Akash Maurya visited the Subash Nagar police station and recorded his statement dismissing accusations of converting to Islam. He also refuted allegations of religious conversion.
While speaking to Opindia about the matter on Tuesday (26th December), the father of Akash Maurya informed that he has returned home. On being asked about the claims surrounding religious conversion, he emphasised that the allegations are true.