Karnataka woman raped by man in front of his wife, forced to convert, case against couple

Mangalore Today News Network

Belagavi, April 22, 2024: An FIR has been lodged against seven people in Karnataka, including a couple for allegedly forcing a 28-year-old married woman to convert to Islam through blackmail using her explicit photos. According to police, the woman in her complaint alleged that she was raped by the man in front of his wife, and was forced to wear a burkha and not wear ’kumkum’ on her forehead.

 

The accused, identified as Rafik, and his wife, manipulated the woman and engaged in sexual activities with her. He then took intimate photos of her which he used to blackmail her, demanding that she convert from Hinduism to Islam.

Police said Rafik and his wife made the woman move into their house in Belagavi in 2023 and demanded that she comply with whatever they said. The woman alleged that she was raped by Rafik last year, in front of his wife, when the three lived together.

In April this year, the couple allegedly asked the woman not to wear ’kumkum’ and forced her to wear a burkha and perform namaz five times a day, said Belagavi SP Bhimashankar Guleda.

The woman alleged that caste-based slurs were used against her and that the accused said she must convert to another religion as she belongs to a backward caste.

Rafik asked her to divorce her husband and threatened to leak the intimate photos of her if she didn’t agree to his demands, the woman said in her complaint. She added that the couple threatened to kill her if she didn’t convert.

An FIR was registered in Saundatti against seven people based on the woman’s complaints. They face charges under the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, relevant sections of the IT law, the SC/ST Act, and the Indian Penal Code, including those for rape, kidnapping, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation.

Courtesy: India Today