Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh):An eight-member SIT formed by the Kanpur police is looking into allegations of forced conversion on the pretext of marriage and has come across over a dozen such cases, an official said.
The SIT was formed about a fortnight ago after some members of Hindu organisations met Kanpur IG Mohit Agarwal, alleging love jihad incidents.
The issue had surfaced after a Kanpur woman, Shalini Yadav, married a Muslim man recently. The couple, however, approached a Delhi court, denying allegations of forced conversion.
According to the official, the special investigation team (SIT) will investigate the alleged role of Islamic organisations in it. The SIT led by Deepak Bhuker, Superintendent of Police, Kanpur (South), has been told to look into any fixed pattern or modus operandi behind the alleged incidents, the official said.
The SIT, which has till now come across at least a dozen such cases, mostly from the Juhi area in Kanpur, has decided to investigate if any Islamic organisation has a role in funding the love jihad' racket in Kanpur, the official said.
There is a strong possibility that some Islamic outfits may be providing financial assistance to a handful of organisations involved in such anti-national acts, the official claimed. Meanwhile, SP Deepak Bhuker said the help of a special SWAT team has been sought for surveillance, he added.
The SIT has contacted local police stations and sought details of all alleged love jihad cases reported in the past two years, he said. Bhuker said the probe team has been extracting records related to a dozen phone numbers to establish links.
They have been gathering information about such couples, their bank accounts and recording statements of their family members, Bhuker said, adding that phone numbers of their aides have also been extracted.
Bhuker, however, said in the case involving Shalini Yadav, the couple had approached the Delhi High Court and later appeared before a magistrate at the Tees Hazari court there, denying the allegations.