Woman alleges rape, blackmail, forced conversion by acquaintance and associates

NAGPUR: A 24-year-old married woman has lodged a complaint with Sonegaon police alleging rape, blackmail and forced religious conversion by her former school acquaintance and his associates. The complainant, the wife of an armed force personnel posted outside the city, has also alleged that she was forced to eat meat after and subjected to sexual assault. The arrested accused have been identified as Ayyaz Taj Madare and his associate Ameen Shaikh. The third accused, Hazrat Maulana from Tamiya village in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh, is on the run. Police said the survivor alleged in the FIR that Ayyaz would repeatedly bring a liquid in a plastic bottle, force her to drink it, chant in Urdu, blow something on her face and commit rape terming it as hypnosis and black magic. According to the FIR, Madare allegedly befriended the woman on the pretext of helping a friend purchase property. On February 8, 2025, he is accused of spiking her drink with a sedative during a meeting at a hotel, after which she lost consciousness. When she regained awareness, he had allegedly recorded photos and videos of her in compromising positions. The complainant further alleged that these recordings were used to blackmail her, with threats of circulating the material and sharing it with her husband. Over a period, the accused allegedly extorted nearly Rs 4 lakh from her. In another incident on May 31, Madare and his accomplice allegedly took her to Kalmeshwar, where Hazrat Maulana allegedly performed rituals and forced her to utter “Qabul hai, qabul hai” as part of a conversion ritual. The woman alleged she was forced to participate in the acts against her will. She further stated that Maulana later declared her converted to Islam and “married” to Ayyaz, after which she was forced to eat meat. The group then allegedly took her to a hotel where Ayyaz again raped her. She also alleged that the accused continued to visit her residence and sexually assaulted her multiple times thereafter. The woman, who runs a property-related business, initially did not report the incidents due to fear. She later informed her husband and approached Sonegaon police, where an FIR was registered. Provisions of the anti-black magic law have also been invoked. Police have arrested two accused in the case, while a third is absconding.