Baghpat police in western UP have arrested a couple following allegation by a nurse working at a local private nursing home that the man had married her as his second wife eight months ago by concealing his religious identity, and also allegedly wanted her to convert, the police said on Thursday.
Neetu Yadav has also alleged that her husband Akram Khan and his brother manhandled her and tried to forcibly abort when she was six-month pregnant with Akram’s child.
Before his arrest Wednesday evening, Akram denied the allegations and said he never hid his religious identity. He told the media that he had informed Neetu about his first wife, Rashida, and also told told her that bigamy is not a crime in his religion.
Both the woman and Akram worked at the same nursing home in Baraut town of the district.
“The staff nurse met me and told everything. She also claimed that her husband was trying to coerce her to convert,” SP Abhishek Singh said over telephone. “I immediately directed the police in-charge there to take action.”
On Wednesday, Akram told reporters in Baraut that he married the nurse in March: “”I never hid my religion, nor am I denying having married her. She was pressuring me to divorce my first wife and live with her. She made these allegations after I refused.”
The woman said, “I did not know (at the time of marriage) that he is Muslim…”