Maulvi Among Three Held for ‘Religious Conversion’ of Two Minor Hindu Girls from Kodinar

Kodinar: The Kodinar police have arrested three people, including a Maulvi associated with the Mira Datar Dargah in Unava, Mehsana district, in connection with allegations that two minor girls from Kodinar were lured away, taken to the dargah and subjected to religious conversion. A fourth accused is absconding, while police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the girls’ disappearance and their alleged confinement at the religious site for three days.

The case came to light after the two minor girls went missing from Kodinar. During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage and traced their location to Unava village in Mehsana district. A team from Kodinar subsequently reached the village with the assistance of local police and located both girls at the Mira Datar Dargah. The girls were reportedly wearing burqas when they were found. Following counselling by female police officers, they were safely brought back to Kodinar.

According to the complaint and statements recorded during the investigation, the girls were allegedly lured with inducements and taken from Kodinar to Unava. The allegations also include attempts to change their religious identities, make them follow Islamic religious practices and arrange the marriage of one of the minors.

One of the girls reportedly told police that they were initially taken to the house of a man identified as Abdul Haji Sandhi, who allegedly posed as her maternal uncle. They were instructed to wear burqas before being taken towards Veraval and subsequently travelling to Gandhinagar. The girls reportedly travelled in a general compartment of a train without tickets before arranging money for their onward journey to Unava.

On reaching Unava railway station, a young man allegedly picked them up in an autorickshaw and took them to the Mira Datar Dargah, where they claimed to have been kept for three days.

The complaint further alleges that the girls’ names were changed and they were made to recite the Kalma and perform Namaz. One of the girls also alleged that she was pressured to change her name to conceal her identity and was asked to marry a young man and settle there. Police are examining these allegations as part of the investigation.

The girls also reportedly alleged that Nisad Kazi, a resident of Dhoraji, removed the SIM cards from their mobile phones and destroyed them, making it difficult for their families to contact or trace them.

The four accused have been identified as Abdul Haji Sandhi of Kodinar, Maulvi Asif Qawwali alias Qawwali of Unava, Shakir alias Babli of Unava, and Nisad Kazi of Dhoraji. All four accused are adults. Police have arrested three of them, while Kazi is reportedly absconding.

A case has been registered under Sections 137(2), 87 and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 4(1) of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, Sections 17 and 18 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and Section 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Police are investigating whether other individuals were involved and whether similar incidents involving minor girls or women have occurred in the past. The statements of the two girls, their travel route and the alleged attempts at religious conversion and marriage are among the key aspects being examined. DeshGujarat