Fact check: UP teen wasn't abducted, came to Kerala in search of work, say police

What media reports said?

Several media houses, including news agency PTI had earlier reported about the alleged kidnapping. The reports said the teenager was lured by a 19-year-old Muslim girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj and taken to Kerala, where she was forced to undergo religious conversion and pressured to take part in jihad training. A report in the Indian Express said that the Dalit girl, after managing to escape her captors, had approached Kerala Police, who then informed their counterparts in Prayagraj and her family. The girl was later brought to Prayagraj where she was sent to a government shelter.

Also read: Minor girl from UP taken to Kerala for conversion and terror recruitment: Police

Another report in India Today, which gave a similar account of the ‘kidnapping’, said Prayagraj Police were investigating the role of a network that targets poor and Dalit girls, in collaboration with Kerala Police.

The 19-year-old woman, Darkasha Bano, who allegedly lured the minor girl to Kerala, and her aide, Mohammad Kaif, were said to have been arrested by Uttar Pradesh police. Prayagraj Police said the kidnapping came to light and the arrests were made based on a complaint filed by Guddi Devi, the Dalit girl’s mother.

All the reports had quoted Prayagraj Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kuldeep Singh Gunawat, who had given an account of the case, arrests and the probe.

Both girls minors, friends: Kerala Police

Kerala Police, however, say that the facts on record differ significantly from the version being projected by authorities in Uttar Pradesh.

According to Kerala Police, the case involves two young girls from Prayagraj who travelled to Kerala last month, reportedly in search of work, and were later found at Thrissur railway station. Kerala officials maintain that both were minors and were placed under the care of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), contradicting kidnapping claims made by a section of the media based on Guddi Devi’s complaint in Uttar Pradesh.

Also read: UP woman alleges forced conversion, sexual exploitation by man

According to official sources in Kerala, the two girls—friends who had left their homes in search of work—were found at Thrissur railway station under suspicious circumstances and were placed under the care of the CWC after it was confirmed they were minors. Their families were duly informed, and the girls were eventually taken back by their respective guardians.

Is ‘kidnapper’ 19 or just 14?

However, upon their return, one of the girls, who is Muslim, was named in a case filed in Uttar Pradesh and charged with kidnapping and an attempt to forcibly convert her Dalit ‘friend’ to Islam, sources in Kerala Police told The Federal.

While Uttar Pradesh police claim that Darkasha Bano, is 19 years old, Aadhaar records with Kerala police show her date of birth as 2011, which makes her a 14-year-old. Her friend, 20-year-old Muhammad Kaif, has also been arrested in the case.

Also read: How the road to conversion to Buddhism for 80 Dalit families in Surat was made difficult

Contrasting police versions

While Uttar Pradesh Police say that the Dalit girl escaped from unlawful confinement in Kerala and returned to Uttar Pradesh last week, Kerala records, however, confirm that the girl was housed legally and safely under the care of the Thrissur CWC for nearly a month before returning home.

Following her return, a complaint was filed on June 28 by the girl’s mother in Prayagraj. Based on this, an FIR was registered, invoking serious charges including abduction, attempted religious conversion, and even allegations of training in “anti-national” activities. These assertions appear to rest entirely on the contents of the family’s complaint, say sources.

Kidnapping narrative spun after return: Kerala cops

Kerala police officials, affirmed that both girls had travelled voluntarily via Delhi to Kerala and were found together. They were kept under protection, and no signs of coercion were reported during their stay. The Muslim girl’s family reached Kerala first, while the second girl’s family arrived later due to financial difficulties. It was only after their return to Uttar Pradesh that the new narrative began to take shape.

Also read: Christians vs indigenous groups: Arunachal sees rare religious cracks

Media reports based on Uttar Pradesh Police statements say Darkasha Bano lured the Dalit girl away with money and took her to the railway station with the help of Muhammad Kaif. It is also alleged that Kaif misbehaved with the girl during the journey and is now facing charges under the POCSO Act and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Missing link

Authorities in Prayagraj have suggested that Darkasha may be part of a group that targets vulnerable Dalit girls for conversion and indoctrination. Another youth, Muhammad Taj, is reportedly under suspicion of being associated with the same group in Kerala, according to reports that quote Uttar Pradesh police.

Also read: Maharashtra govt forms panel to draft law against ‘love jihad’

It was after reaching Thrissur railway station that the girl was located by Kerala Police. Notably, while both girls were found together, this fact appears to have been omitted from the version emerging from Uttar Pradesh.