A Maulana (Muslim cleric) from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh used to blackmail Hindu girls using their photographs which were sent to him by his girlfriend. The families of the victims have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against him and he has been arrested by the authorities. According to media reports, the accused has been identified as Maulana Masood Khan.
The matter pertains to the Neemgaon police station area of Lakhimpur Kheri. He is a resident of Achaniya village and also runs a shop. His lover Priyanka who teaches in a convent school provided him with the images of her female students and he began to threaten them. The institution is managed by a man named Masood Khan.
#SPKheri @GaneshPdSaha के निर्देशन में वांछित/वारण्टी अभियुक्तों की गिरफ्तारी हेतु चलाए जा रहे अभियान के अंतर्गत आज दिनांक 10.10.2024 को थाना नीमगाँव पुलिस द्वारा उ0प्र0 विधि विरुद्ध धर्म अधि0 में वांछित अभियुक्त मौलाना मसूद खान पुत्र रहीश अहमद को गिरफ्तार किया गया। pic.twitter.com/kwaAn7tnP1
— KHERI POLICE (@kheripolice) October 10, 2024
On 25th May when a girl reached the cleric’s shop in order to get her phone recharged, he caught hold of her hand. He took the device and tampered with it. Afterwards, he followed her and engaged in appropriate behaviour with her. He molested her again on 24th September and threatened that he would take obscene pictures of her and share them on social media. He even threatened her via WhatsApp messages. Her brother then lodged an FIR against him. Afterwards, the cops examined the perpetrator’s mobile and discovered dozens of photos as well as lewd videos of Hindu girls, many of whom attended the school where Priyanka was employed.
In a separate matter, a girl from a village in the police station area studies in a coaching institute located in the area with her two friends. According to her family members, all three are friends with Priyanka who sent their photos and videos to the offender and he misused them. The authorities have submitted a case under sections 79 and 351 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), on the complaint of their families.
He has also been charged with converting a Hindu girl. Two cases have been launched against him. His lover and the other Masood Khan have also been named as accused and the police are searching for them. Neemgaon police station officer Sunita Kushwaha told OpIndia that both of them will also be arrested soon and further investigation into the matter is underway. The girls are minor and they are also looking into the matter from this angle.
