Gujarat woman rescued from Assam in alleged love jihad case, says minister

Gujarat Police rescued a 20-year-old Gandhinagar woman allegedly trapped in a case of “love jihad” from Assam’s Hojai district. The woman, taken by an Assamese youth, was reunited with her family, prompting minister Harsh Sanghavi to declare zero tolerance for such cases

Ahmedabad: Gujarat police have managed to rescue a 20-year-old Gandhinagar woman trapped in “love jihad” from a remote village in Assam, State Minister Harsh Sanghavi said on Friday.

“Love jihad” is a term used by right-wing groups and activists to allege a concerted effort by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage. The probe into the case began after the woman’s father lodged a missing person complaint and also contacted Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police Ravi Teja Vasamsetty and expressed concern over suspected “love jihad”, a release from Sanghavi’s office said.

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The police probe zeroed in on Soif Abdul Manafuddin, an Assamese youth living on rent near the woman’s house and working as a housekeeping supervisor in a hotel in Gandhinagar city.

He had lured her into a relationship and taken her by flight to Assam without the knowledge of her family, it said. “Since the accused had put his mobile phone on flight mode after reaching Assam and used it only for Wi-Fi calling, it was difficult to get his exact location. Despite challenges, a team of Gandhinagar police managed to track the girl and the man from a village in Hojai district of Assam,” the release said.

The girl was then freed from his custody on Thursday and reunited with her family on Friday, it added. The woman realised her mistake once she reached Assam and contacted her family, following which the police swung into action and brought her back, SP Vasamsetty informed.

The man was not arrested because the victim is not a minor, the official added. “There is absolutely no place for love jihad in Gujarat. Police will take strict action against every criminal involved in such crimes. I congratulate Gandhinagar police for its commendable work,” Gujarat minister of state for home Sanghavi said in a statement.