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A woman from Noida has told police she was deceived into a marriage, pressured to convert and defrauded of large sums nearly a decade after first meeting the man she now accuses. The case, filed this week in Agra, raises questions about alleged matrimonial fraud and the enforcement of conversion-related laws in Uttar Pradesh.
Allegations and FIR
The complaint names 52-year-old Ashfaq Raju and four of his children. According to police records, the woman — about 50 years old — met the man at a social gathering in Muzaffarnagar in 2016. He gave a different name at the time, she says, and a formal religious ceremony took place in January 2017 at Piran Kaliyar.
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Police say an FIR has been lodged on the directions of the district SSP under multiple penal provisions, and also cites the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. The charges, as reported by authorities, include allegations of deceitful sexual relations, criminal breach of trust, cheating and impersonation.
Bhopa SHO Ashutosh Kumar told reporters: “Raids are being conducted to arrest the accused.” Investigating officers say raids are underway at addresses linked to Raju.
- When and where: First contact in 2016; a ceremony described as a nikah took place on January 24, 2017, at Piran Kaliyar.
- Names used: The accused reportedly introduced himself as “Rajeev Balyan”; the woman’s name was recorded as Noorjahan during the ceremony.
- Financial claim: The complainant alleges she was forced to take a loan of ₹30 lakh against her Noida flat, funds she says were taken by the accused for a promised house.
- Family disclosures: On a brief visit to his family home in Morna village, she discovered the man already had a wife and five children, she told police.
- Legal actors: The FIR was filed with assistance from a local Hindu organisation and registered by Bhopa police under multiple sections of the law.
The complainant says she was kept in her own Noida flat for most of the relationship and was not introduced to the accused’s household in Muzaffarnagar, aside from one short stay when the alleged prior marriage and children came to light.
Why this matters now
Cases that combine alleged financial exploitation, disputed personal identities and forced or disputed religious conversion draw attention for multiple reasons: they touch on property rights, women’s safety in intimate relationships, and the application of laws meant to prevent coercive conversions. In states where conversion statutes are active, such complaints often prompt urgent police and political interest.
For readers, the immediate stakes are practical and legal. A disputed marriage can affect access to property and loans; accusations of impersonation and cheating can carry significant criminal liability; and conversion-related allegations can trigger separate criminal probes under state law.
What police are doing
Authorities say they have registered the FIR and are pursuing arrests. The local SHO confirmed searches at multiple locations; investigators have not said publicly whether any arrests have yet been made or whether forensic or financial trails have been traced.
Officials in Agra have indicated the matter is under active inquiry and that further statements will be released as the probe advances. Given the multiple legal threads — civil, criminal and statutory conversion provisions — the case is likely to involve several investigative teams and could take time to resolve.
We reached out to police for further details and will update this report when more information becomes available.
