Rape Survivor Forced Into Marriage, Conversion, And Abortion

A rape survivor was allegedly coerced into marrying her assailant after being forced to change her religion. She was subsequently deceived into aborting her five-month-old fetus at a hospital in Mumbai. The woman, originally from Lucknow, met the accused, identified as Saifuddin from Karnataka, during her seven-year stay in Bahrain. In addition to Saifuddin, his former fiancée and his family members are accused of harassment for dowry, compelling her to convert from Hinduism to Islam, and other offenses.

In her complaint, she stated that she became acquainted with Saifuddin while working in Bahrain, and they developed a close relationship. “One day, he raped me in Bahrain, and I lodged a rape complaint there. While the matter was under investigation, Saifuddin and his family members persuaded me to withdraw the complaint after I became five months pregnant as a result of the rape. They also pressured me to change my religion. Later, on February 13, 2024, I was married to Saifuddin according to Muslim law. In due course, Saifuddin tricked me into visiting Mumbai for a medical consultation, and I was admitted to a hospital where the doctors secretly aborted the five-month-old fetus,” she alleged.

The victim recounted that she was then taken to Saifuddin’s house in Beedar, Karnataka, where Saifuddin’s fiancée, Monika, his elder brother, and other family members subjected her to mental and physical torture. SHO Gudamba NK Srivastava confirmed that the police have registered a case for dowry-related harassment against the accused, including Saifuddin, who remains untraceable.