RAJKOT: The Rapar Police in East Kutch have arrested an Imam from Khwaja Saheb shirin Ajmer, Rajasthan, for his alleged involvement in the illegal religious conversion and marriage (Nikah) of a minor girl from Rapar.The incident came to light when the victim’s family filed a formal police complaint on June 12, 2026. According to the police, the primary accused, 27-year-old Jahin Abdul Chauhan, a resident of Rapar, abducted the minor girl aged 17 years under the pretext of marriage. The complaint detailed that Chauhan repeatedly established physical relations with the minor, threatened her, and physically assaulted her.“During the investigation, authorities revealed that Chauhan had taken the abducted minor to the Khwaja Saheb Dargah in Ajmer, Rajasthan. It was discovered that on July 21, 2025, an Imam identified as 34-year-old Mohammad Ramzan Janmohammad unlawfully converted the minor to Islam and officiated their Nikah.” said Sagar Bagmar, superintendent of police Kutch East.Recognising the gravity of the offence, the Rapar police swiftly arrested Jahin Chauhan on June 13, 2026. Continuing their pursuit, the police successfully apprehended the Imam, Mohammad Ramzan, from Ajmer on June 15, 2026. He was subsequently produced in court and has been remanded to police custody until June 19, 2026.The police have invoked a series of severe charges against the accused. The initial FIR was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 64(2)(i)(m), 137(2), 87, 115(2), and 351(3), alongside sections 4, 6, and 18 of the POCSO Act. Following the revelation of the forced conversion and underage marriage, the police added Section 4(A) of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act 2021, Sections 9 and 10 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, and Section 17 of the POCSO Act to the ongoing investigation.
