A shocking case has come to light from the Belha Devi temple in Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, where a Muslim man was caught trying to marry a young woman by hiding his real identity. The accused, 45-year-old Matloob Ahmed, was arrested on the spot after the temple priest grew suspicious.
The incident happened on Saturday (12th July), around 11:30 am, when the temple’s head priest, Mangal Prasad, was doing his routine inspection. He noticed a middle-aged man and a young woman, around 20 years old, exchanging garlands at the temple ghat. The clear age gap between them made him suspicious, so he asked them some questions.
Matloob Ahmed had applied sandalwood paste on his forehead
The woman said she was from the Malaka area of Prayagraj, and the man claimed to be her neighbour. However, when the priest checked his Aadhaar card, he found out the man’s real name was Matloob Ahmed, not Rajiv as he had told the girl. He had even applied sandalwood paste on his forehead to appear Hindu. The priest immediately informed the police.
FIR has been registered
The Bhuliyapur police outpost team, including women constables, rushed to the spot and brought both of them to the Kotwali police station. Based on the priest’s complaint, an FIR was registered against Matloob under Sections 299 (fraud) and 287 (negligent conduct) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Media Coverage of Good Work Done By-@pratapgarhpol#GoodWorkUpp#UPPInNews#UPPolice#pratapgarh pic.twitter.com/VaMKX4G39g
— PRATAPGARH POLICE (@pratapgarhpol) July 14, 2025
आज दिनांक 12.07.2025 को थाना कोतवाली नगर अतंर्गत माॅ बेल्हा देवी धाम में प्रयागराज से आये 01 पुरुष व 01 महिला द्वारा प्रेम विवाह किये जाने की सूचना पर स्थानीय पुलिस द्वारा की जा रही कार्यवाही के सम्बन्ध में अपर पुलिस अधीक्षक पूर्वी श्री शैलेन्द्र लाल की बाइट। pic.twitter.com/Pn2b8JfXvh
— PRATAPGARH POLICE (@pratapgarhpol) July 12, 2025
The accused had already been married twice
During interrogation, it came to light that Matloob had already been married twice and works as a roadside puncture repairman in Prayagraj. He had been in touch with the woman for about a year and chose this remote temple for the marriage to avoid being caught.
The woman told the police that Matloob had introduced himself as Rajiv and promised to marry her according to Hindu customs. She also claimed he intended to force her to convert after marriage. Police handed her over to her family and said further investigation is underway.
