Woman raped, blackmailed to convert to Islam in Savadatti; FIR registered against couple, 5 others

Belagavi (Karnataka) [India], April 22 (ANI): An FIR was filed against a couple and five others for allegedly forcing a 28-year-old woman to convert to Islam by blackmailing her using her private photos, police said.
The accused, identified as Rafik, and his wife, engaged in sexual activities with her. He then took intimate photos of her, which he used to blackmail her into converting to Islam, police said.
According to police, all three were living together, and in 2023, her husband Rafik raped her and demanded her conversion to Islam. He also asked her to wear a burqa instead of "kumkum," as per her complaint.
"In April 2024, they forced the lady to perform namaz five times, wear a burqa, and not wear kumkum," Superintendent of Police (SP) Belagavi Bheemashankar S Guled said.
The accused, Rafik, asked her to divorce her husband and live with them by converting to Islam; if not, he threatened to reveal her intimate photos, police said.
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, police said.
Further investigation is underway. (ANI)