Bareilly, January 3: Police in Uttar Pradesh dropped charges against three Muslim youths within 24 hours after booking them under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Law, 2020, aimed to curb "love jihad". According to the police, the FIR registered in connection with the alleged "love jihad" case was expunged after it was found that the complaint was "fake". Interfaith Marriage in Lucknow Stopped by UP Police, Despite Families Giving Consent, Cops Cite Love Jihad Law.

A married woman had lodged a complaint against the three Muslim men for "stalking and sexually harassing her", referring to a particular incident on December 1, according to a TOI report. Based on the complaint, police booked the accused under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Law, 2020, and arrested them on January 1. Notably, the complainant was in a relationship with one of the accused men for over a year and had eloped with him last September. Anti-Conversion Law: UP Police Registered More Than One Case of ‘Love Jihad’ Everyday; 35 Arrested in One Month.

Police released all the three accused on January 2 after they found that the allegations were false as the three men were not present in Bareilly on December 1. "After checking the mobile surveillance report, it was evident that the men were not in the village on the day of the incident mentioned in the FIR. We have not found any evidence against them," Faridpur SHO Surinder Singh Pachauri was quoted by TOI as saying.

"On the other hand, the facts mentioned in the woman's statement were found incorrect and she even said that she doesn’t use a mobile phone. We are now trying to find out if she had registered the complaint under someone's direction," the SHO added. Police will now book the woman under IPC section 182 (false information with intent to cause a public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2021 12:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).