A woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad district has accused her husband of forcing her and their three children to accept Islam. The woman, identified as Shibhawati has lodged a police complaint against her husband, who went to Saudi Arabia as Virender three years ago and returned as Bilal, for allegedly forcing her to convert to Islam.

The woman has also expressed fear for her life.

According to the woman, her husband Virender went to Saudi Arabia three years ago to work where he accepted Islam and changed his name to Bilal. When he returned home recently, he started putting pressure on her to convert too. When she refused, the man took two children with him.

The couple belongs to a Scheduled Caste and is a resident of Mahmood Mau village in Mawai police station area.

Shobhawati alleges that her husband has also threatened to kill her if she does not accept his bidding. She claimed that the entire family of Virender accepted Islam for monetary benefits offered by people in the village. The family, she said, has been given a handsome amount which they have used to build a house.

Virender’s elder brother Shivpujan has changed his name to Abdullah and his two younger brothers are now called Abdul Samad and Khalid respectively, she claimed, adding that his sister has now become Amina.

Shobhawati said that her husband tried to lure her to Islam with money. She said that her husband said she would get a huge amount of money and a house. As she did not want to change her religion, she went to the police.

Manoj Kumar, SSP Faizabad, said that a case has been registered against the accused in Mawai police station after the woman’s complaint. The investigation is underway, the SSP said.