'Forced to chant in Urdu, eat meat': Army officer's wife claims rape, forced conversion in Nagpur

NAGPUR: A property-related meeting in February 2025 allegedly turned into the starting point of a case involving "rape, blackmail, extortion and forced religious conversion" in Nagpur, according to a 24-year-old married woman’s complaint that has triggered a police investigation, even as a purported video linked to the case has surfaced online. A video purportedly linked to the allegations shows a man holding the woman’s hands and chanting religious verses while she repeatedly pleads to be let go. In the clip, she can be heard saying, “Tumhe ladne ki bahut aadat hai na, haath chhodo na... chhodo,” and crying repeatedly, while the man continues to hold her hands. The woman appears visibly distressed and resists his actions throughout the footage. According to the complainant, the main accused, Ayyaz Taj Madare, a former school acquaintance, allegedly subjected her to rituals involving religious chants and repeatedly blew over her face before assaulting her. She has further alleged that she was often made to consume an unidentified liquid beforehand and suspects she was intoxicated during some of the incidents. In her complaint, she also alleged that she was subsequently forced to participate in a religious conversion ceremony and was declared converted against her will. She further claimed that an attempt was made to rape her following the ritual. The video surfaced days after the woman approached Sonegaon Police, alleging rape, blackmail, extortion and forced religious conversion by Madare and his associates.

Police have arrested Madare and his associate, Ameen Shaikh, while a third accused, Hazrat Maulana of Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh, remains absconding. According to the FIR, the complainant’s husband serves in the armed forces and is posted outside Nagpur. She alleged that Madare reconnected with her under the pretext of assisting in a property-related matter and later spiked her drink during a hotel meeting in 2025. She further alleged that compromising photographs and videos were recorded without her consent and subsequently used to blackmail her. She claimed she was threatened with the release of the material and that nearly Rs 4 lakh was extorted from her over several months. Police said the survivor alleged in the FIR that Madare repeatedly brought a liquid in a plastic bottle, forced her to drink it, chanted in Urdu, blew something on her face and sexually assaulted her, describing the acts as being carried out under the guise of hypnosis and black magic. In another alleged incident on May 31, Madare and his associate took her to Kalmeshwar, where Hazrat Maulana from Chhindwara district allegedly performed rituals and forced her to say “Qabul hai qabul hai” during a conversion ceremony. Police said the woman claimed she was forced to participate in the acts against her will. Thereafter, the Maulana allegedly declared her converted to Islam and married her to Madare.

She was also allegedly forced to eat meat. The group then allegedly took her to a hotel, where she was sexually assaulted again, according to the FIR. The woman also alleged that the accused continued to visit her residence and sexually assaulted her multiple times thereafter. The woman, who manages a property-related business, initially did not report the incidents due to fear but later informed her husband and approached Sonegaon Police Station, where an FIR was registered.

Provisions of Maharashtra’s anti-superstition and anti-black magic law have also been invoked. Zonal DCP Rishikesh Reddy said two accused have been arrested and the case is under detailed investigation. He added that forensic analysis of seized electronic devices is underway, along with verification of financial transactions and recording of witness statements. “All angles, including coercion and digital evidence, are being probed,” he said. Authorities have not independently verified the contents of the viral video. The allegations are based on the complainant’s statement, and the matter remains under investigation.