Man who married 12 held, conversion suspected

A case involving multiple marriages, identity fraud and a suspected religious conversion racket came to light in Varanasi on Wednesday.

- NAMITA BAJPAI @ Lucknow

Sarnath police arrested a man identified as Mohammad Sharaf Rizvi, a resident of Farrukhabad, who had been posing as "Samrat Singh" to establish a relationship with a woman on the pretext of marriage. He also extorted money and pressured her to convert to Islam.

On the complaint of the woman, Sarnath police arrested Rizvi and sent him to jail. Police sources said the accused had been using the same method to target several women, pressuring them to convert. He had married at least 12 women in different states, including Uttar Pradesh. Police have obtained records of these cases and are contacting the victims.