Despite Hindu wife denying abduction claim, Muslim man arrested again

A Muslim man named Akbar Khan was arrested by the Ghaziabad police on Friday on abduction charges, even though his Hindu wife, Sonika Chauhan, had earlier stated in a video that she left home voluntarily.

The couple had married in August 2022, but had been living apart due to objections from Chauhan’s family. Reports indicate that they eloped on May 24, prompting intervention from local BJP leaders, who allegedly assisted in separating them and returning Chauhan to her family.

Khan had previously been arrested for the same incident on May 25, but was granted bail on June 8. Their situation, which had received media attention, included an attack on their businesses by a mob on May 26. The mob reportedly claimed that the marriage was an example of “love jihad” — a conspiracy theory promoted by Hindutva groups that alleges Muslim men deceive Hindu women into relationships with the intent of converting them to Islam, Scroll.in reported.

According to The Indian Express, the couple fled once again in the early hours of July 30. A family member of Akbar Khan, speaking anonymously to Scroll, said they had travelled to Prayagraj to seek protection from the Allahabad High Court.

Later that day, the Ghaziabad Police registered a fresh case against Khan and four others. The charges, based on a complaint filed by Sonika Chauhan’s father, Laxman Singh Chauhan, included abduction, administering harmful substances, theft, and criminal intimidation.

The complainant alleged that Khan had been issuing threats to the family in the days before his daughter's alleged abduction. He also claimed that on the night of the alleged abduction, the family was rendered unconscious by some intoxicant. In addition, he reported that Rs 50,000 in cash and jewellery had gone missing from their home.

After Sonika and Akbar Khan fled on July 30, Sonika released a video stating she had left willingly, alleging that her family had subjected her to both physical and mental abuse. She also claimed that for two months, her parents, along with local BJP leaders, had pressured her to provide false testimony against Khan.

Despite this, the police reportedly located the couple and brought them back to Ghaziabad on Thursday. Khan’s family alleged that the authorities acted unusually fast, suggesting political influence behind the move.

However, Indirapuram Assistant Commissioner of Police Abhishek Srivastava dismissed these claims, asserting that the investigation was being carried out solely on the basis of a formal complaint from Sonika’s father. He assured that Sonika’s statement would be officially recorded.

By Friday, police had taken Khan, his brother Maksad, and their neighbour Lalit Ayyar into custody. According to Ravendra Gautam, the station house officer at Indirapuram police station, authorities were also looking into whether Sonika had been coerced into making the video on July 30. He said that Sonika was now with her family and that her statement would be taken in court when she felt ready.