Bengaluru, Oct 25 : Karnataka Police on Saturday arrested a man for allegedly forcing a girl to convert to Islam in order to marry her.

The accused, Mohammad Ishaq, has been arrested in Amrutalli police station limits in Bengaluru.

The case came to light after the victim filed a complaint against her lover and his family, alleging that they were pressuring her to convert to Islam for marriage. The complaint was registered at HSR Layout police station in Bengaluru on Thursday.

According to police, the victim and Mohammad Ishaq were introduced via Instagram on October 17, 2024. After some interaction, they began a relationship. On October 30, 2024, they met at a mall in the Thanisandra locality of Bengaluru, where the accused allegedly promised to speak to her parents and marry her.

Later that day, he booked a room in Dasarahalli and reportedly sexually exploited her. The victim claimed that he repeatedly abused her physically under the pretext of marriage. Over time, she became suspicious of his behaviour and discovered that he had multiple affairs with other girls. When she insisted on marriage, he allegedly kept postponing it with excuses.

It was further revealed that the accused had gotten engaged to a Muslim girl on September 14, 2025. When confronted about this, he allegedly threatened the victim, warning that she would be killed if she contacted him again, and told her to move on. The victim also stated that she was verbally abused in vulgar language.

Police said the victim attempted suicide, after which Mohammad Ishaq's family contacted her family, suggesting that the matter could be resolved amicably. However, Ishaq's elder brother and brother-in-law reportedly told the girl that she must convert to Islam if she wanted to marry him. They allegedly instructed her to learn to perform namaz (prayers) within 40 days and stated that marriage discussions would only proceed after her conversion.

The case has taken a controversial turn, with Hindu organizations approaching the victim's family, claiming it as a case of 'love jihad' and demanding justice. The police are treating the matter seriously and continue to investigate.

It may be recalled that the BJP has alleged that cases of 'love jihad' are on the rise in Karnataka due to the appeasement policies of the Congress-led government. Former minister and BJP MLC C.T. Ravi had urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to comprehensively investigate all cases of love jihad, land jihad, and vote jihad.

BJP State President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra also stated that love jihad cases are increasing in the state, which he claimed is following a 'Kerala model' due to the minority appeasement politics of Siddaramaiah. 'Those who commit crimes against women and other anti-social activities believe that the state government will support them because it hesitates to arrest accused individuals, even in cases such as raising 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans at Vidhana Soudha. This policy is destabilizing law and order and creating fear among Hindu families and women,' Vijayendra said.

/IANS