Israeil Mohammad hunted for Hindu victims at photocopy centre frequented by school girls: Posed as ‘Shiva Sharma’ to trap them; objectionable videos found on phone

A disturbing case of love jihad has now surfaced in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, following similar incidents in Bhopal and Indore. A man identified as Israeil Mohammad Khan, a resident of Gunnor village in Panna district, reportedly posed as a Hindu youth named Shiva Sharma on social media to befriend Hindu girls and lure them into romantic relationships.

The deception came to light in a rather unexpected way—when Israeil visited a cyber café to photocopy his Aadhaar card. He made an online payment of ₹15, which revealed his real name. The discrepancy between his payment details and the name on the Aadhaar—Shiva Sharma—raised suspicion. The cyber café owner alerted local Hindu activists, who confronted Israeil and handed him over to the police.

Initially booked under Section 319 for using forged documents, the case took a darker turn when police found objectionable photos of several young women on Israeil’s phone. This prompted authorities to bring in the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). Their preliminary investigation has uncovered evidence supporting allegations of love jihad, and the case is now being investigated from that angle.

According to ATS sources, Israeil had developed illicit relations with three women and was chatting with at least 12 more using a fake Hindu identity. He frequently visited a mosque in Gunnor, and investigators are now probing his associations there.

The investigation also revealed that Israeil used to gather personal details of Hindu girls from a photocopy shop owned by a Muslim man in Damoh. Many school and college-going girls visited the shop to make copies of their documents, giving him easy access to names and contact numbers. He then approached them on social media under the fake identity of Shiva Sharma, eventually coercing them into sharing private photos and videos.

Despite the evidence, no formal complaint has been filed by any victim so far, police officials confirmed. CSP Abhishek Tiwari stated that the authorities are prepared to take further action if any of the girls come forward.

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