A chargesheet has been filed against a doctor and three others in Lucknow for the alleged sexual exploitation and forced religious conversion of a female doctor, marking a significant development in the case.
A chargesheet has been filed against a former King George's Medical University resident and three others for the alleged sexual exploitation and religious conversion of a female doctor, an officer said on Saturday.
The police submitted a chargesheet of around 250 pages in court on Friday, against the main accused Dr Ramizuddin Naik alias Ramiz Malik, his father Salimuddin, mother Khadija and nikah witness Shariq Khan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vishwajeet Shrivastava told PTI.
"The accused doctor has been charged with rape, criminal intimidation and forcing religious conversion under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 3 and 5 of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021," the officer said.
"His parents and the co-accused have been charged with aiding, abetting and harbouring," he added.
Police said the name of a Pilibhit-based cleric, Syed Zahid Hasan, who allegedly solemnised a marriage, has not been included in the chargesheet at this stage.
"His role is under investigation, and a supplementary chargesheet will be filed if evidence is found against him," the officer said.
The case was registered at Chowk police station in December last year after a junior doctor of KGMU, in her complaint, alleged that the accused concealed his marital status, sexually exploited her on the pretext of marriage, forced her to undergo an abortion and pressured her to convert.
During the investigation, the complainant told police that in February last year, the accused had allegedly converted another woman doctor and married her.
Police contacted the woman concerned and recorded her statement before a magistrate. She reportedly said that she had been made to undergo religious conversion.
Shrivastava said the chargesheet includes statements of several witnesses as well as forensic analysis of mobile phones and laptop data seized during the probe.
The accused doctor was arrested in Lucknow on January 9, while his parents were earlier taken into custody and later sent to judicial remand, police said, adding that further investigation in the case is underway.