JAGATSINGHPUR: A day after rescuing a college girl from Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur police on Sunday arrested three persons for allegedly abducting the 17-year-old and coercing her into religious conversion.
The three accused are Sayed Ezhar Karim (28) of Nandalo in Salepur and Sheikh Javed Akhtar (26) of Buxi Bazar, both in Cuttack, besides Md Alamgir (28) of Tarikunda under Jagatsinghpur police limits. Police said the trio had kidnapped the teenager, a Plus II student of SVM Autonomous College in Jagatsinghpur, on September 27.
According to sources, the girl, a resident of Odishogada, was staying in the college hostel. While attending coaching classes for competitive examinations, she reportedly came in contact with four other girls belonging to the minority community. Later, the girl began reading Islamic books and was found performing namaz secretly in her hostel room.
On noticing this behaviour, the hostel superintendent informed the girl’s parents, who took her home on September 20. However, after a few days at home, she left for the college hostel on her bicycle on the morning of September 27 but never reached there. Her family launched a search but failed to trace her. Subsequently, her father filed an FIR in Jagatsinghpur police station on September 29 after finding her bicycle near the hostel premises.
Basing on the complaint, police registered a case under sections 137 (2), 87, 143 (4) and 142/3 (5) of the BNS and started investigation. The girl was later rescued from the house of a member of the minority community in Cuttack city on Saturday.
The victim’s father alleged that during his daughter’s coaching classes, some girls from the Muslim community influenced her to adopt Islam. She had written about Islamic teachings in her notebook and was reportedly compelled by a Maulvi (Muslim cleric) to perform namaz and embrace Islam.
“Before her kidnapping, she was under pressure to convert and subsequently, fled from the college campus on September 27 with the help of members of the minority community. It is unfortunate that even after her rescue, she continues to perform namaz in her room at our home,” he alleged.
IIC of Jagatsinghpur police station Sarojkanta Samal said the three accused pressurised the girl to accept Islam religion. They were produced in court. Further investigation is underway to identify others involved in the incident, he added.
Principal of SVM Autonomous College Sujata Otta said, “I came to know about the incident after police informed me about the student’s rescue. During inquiry, the hostel superintendent confirmed that the girl was performing namaz in her room. It is a matter of serious concern, and steps will be taken to create awareness among college students.”