Maharashtra Influencer Arrested Over Rape, Forced Religious Conversion Allegations

Police have arrested a 22-year-old gym trainer and social media influencer in Nalasopara, Maharashtra’s Palghar district, following allegations of rape, physical abuse and forced religious conversion by a 23-year-old woman, officials said on Wednesday.

The accused, Arif Ayub Shaikh, was arrested on Tuesday after the woman lodged a complaint on October 12. According to the complaint, Shaikh befriended her through social media in April 2025 and allegedly sexually assaulted her on several occasions after gaining her trust and taking her to his residence.

The woman also alleged that Shaikh and his mother, Ruksana, pressured her to undergo religious conversion under the pretext of marriage. She further accused Shaikh’s cousin, Sahil Shaikh, of attempting to assault her.

During the investigation, police recovered more than 100 explicit video clips from the main accused’s mobile phone. Preliminary findings suggested that some of the footage may have been circulated abroad, officials said.

Following his arrest, Shaikh was produced before a local court, which remanded him to three days of police custody for further investigation.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 3) Shashikant Borate said multiple cases had been registered against the accused, his mother and his cousin under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The allegations include rape, wrongful confinement, voluntarily causing hurt, assault and criminal intimidation.

Earlier in the week, another case was registered against Shaikh at the Nalasopara police station over allegedly objectionable remarks concerning the Navratri festival. He was booked for allegedly committing deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of a class of citizens.

BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya visited the police station on Tuesday to seek details of the police action. In posts on X, he alleged that several young women had been sexually exploited and claimed that investigators had uncovered evidence pointing to a wider network. He also referred to alleged foreign transactions found on the accused’s phone.

Police are investigating the allegations and the possible involvement of others. The claims against the accused and the alleged wider network remain subject to investigation.