Pune: 21-Year-Old Man Arrested For Luring Minor From Punjab, Attempting Religious Conversion

Pune: Fursungi police have arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly luring a 17-year-old girl from Ludhiana, Punjab, bringing her to Pune and attempting to convert her on the promise of marriage. The accused has been booked under the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026.

The accused has been identified as Mohammad Rais Rafiq Sheikh (21), a resident of Firozpur, Malihabad, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The complaint was lodged by the minor’s father, who has been living in Ludhiana for the past 16 years for work.

According to police, the girl went missing on August 14, 2025, after leaving home, saying she was going to school. When she did not return, her father filed a missing person report at Sarabha Nagar police station in Ludhiana. The family continued searching for her for nearly a year.

On July 30, 2026, the girl reportedly called her mother and said that she was staying with Sheikh on Handewadi Road in Pune. She shared her location and asked her family to come and take her home.

Her father subsequently reached Fursungi police station on August 4 with his cousin and sought police assistance. Police traced the girl and brought her, along with Sheikh, to the police station.

As per the complaint, Sheikh allegedly developed a relationship with the minor and promised to help her complete her education. After taking her from Punjab, he allegedly took her to Aligarh and Kolar in Karnataka before bringing her to Pune. Police said he had been staying with the girl in Handewadi for around two months.

The girl reportedly told her family that Sheikh had allegedly established a physical relationship with her against her wishes and told her that she would have to change her religion if she wanted to marry him.

The minor underwent a medical examination and was subsequently placed in an observation home on the orders of the Juvenile Justice Board. Police said further legal proceedings are underway and the girl will be handed over to her parents after completion of the required formalities.