UP police hands over girl in interfaith relationship to parents; man booked

Two days after an interfaith couple was prevented by members of a right-wing group from marrying, the Moradabad police on Thursday handed over the woman to her parents.

The police also booked the man belonging to the Muslim community on charges of various offences under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act and kidnapping under the IPC.

The couple had gone to the collectorate on Tuesday for marriage under the Special Marriage Act.

They were, however, stopped by a group of men from the Hindu Yuva Vahini who accused the man of forcing the woman to convert to Islam.

The protesting men called the police and the couple was detained.

While the woman, a Ludhiana native, was kept in custody at a women police station, the man, belonging to Karula in Moradabad, was taken to the Civil Lines police station.

Police sources said the man worked in a shop in Ludhiana located near the woman's house since 2019. The two eloped and reached Moradabad on April 14 and were trying to get married.

Moradabad's Assistant Superintendent of Police Sagar Jain said the police acted on the complaint of woman family members lodged in Ludhiana.

"We came to know that the family members of the girl had lodged a missing person complaint with the Ludhiana police. This raised suspicion and we had to detain them,” he said.

”The FIR has been filed on the basis of a police complaint lodged in the matter. Further action will be taken as per the findings of our investigation,” he added.