Hyderabad: Forced to convert to Islam, assaulted, alleges woman

Hyderabad: In an alleged case of ‘love jihad’ in the city, a 25-year-old techie from the city was forced to convert, sexually assaulted, and then dumped for allegedly failing to follow religious customs. Though she was being confined in Dubai by her fiancé, the girl managed to escape, return home and lodged a complaint with the Malkajgiri Police.

A case has been booked against Safdar Abbas Zaidi on charges of rape and cheating. G. Sandeep, the ACP of Malkajgiri, said the victim had been sent for medical tests and the investigation had begun.

“Proposals to issue a Look-Out Circular (LOC) will be sent so that the suspect, who is now in Dubai, may be nabbed,” he said. The victim, who hails from Malkajgiri, was working for an MNC in Somajiguda when she fell in love with Abbas. 

After a few months, he moved to Dubai for work and she followed him. After being in a relationship for four years, Abbas promised to marry her provided she converted to Islam. 

Though she was unwilling, he forced her to convert and made her follow Islamic traditions. 

He then started making more demands from her. “She was only allowed to go out wearing a burqa, with her face covered, and she was forced to follow all the Islamic traditions and rituals. The more she pleaded, the more he forced her,” said a family member of the victim.

During one of their meetings, Abbas forced the girl to have intercourse and went on to sexually assault her many times.

The couple was due to be married, with both families’ consent, on April 17. Once the date was set, Abbas put forth the condition that she would have to sever ties with her family after the marriage. 

Then, one day he told her that she was not following Islamic customs properly, and so she would not be able to adjust to his family. Saying this, he broke up with her.

In December, his parents informed the girl’s parents that the marriage would no longer be happening. Abbas’ father Aleem Akhtar Abid Zaidi, asked the girl’s parents to visit Haj House in Nampally to change the girl’s name in some legal documents so that she would not have any problem migrating to other countries for work.

When the girl demanded that Abbas marry her, he threatened to file a case against her saying that she had stolen a laptop and a mobile, both of which he had actually gifted her. Eventually, the girl managed to escape.