Man in UP held for extortion, attempted religious conversion using fake matrimonial account

Varanasi (UP), Aug 14 (PTI) Police arrested a man here for allegedly creating a fake matrimonial account, which he used to trap over a dozen women in relationships and extort money from them, officials said on Thursday.

The man, Mohammad Sharaf Rizvi (27), also allegedly pressured the women to change their religion, they said.

Rizvi, originally from Farrukhabad, was arrested on Wednesday in Sarnath. He allegedly used fake names on matrimonial websites to entrap women, Sarnath Additional Commissioner of Police Vijay Pratap Singh said.

Rizvi would then establish physical relationships with them, blackmail them for money and pressure them to change their religion, he said, adding that around 12 to 15 women were reported to be in his "trap".

The arrest came after a victim informed police that Rizvi was coming to meet her. Police apprehended him behind the Ashapur police outpost.

Rizvi has been sent to jail following legal proceedings, Singh said. PTI COR CDN SHS SHS SKY SKY