Gym Trainer Arrested Following Woman's Complaint
During the investigation, authorities recovered more than a hundred explicit video clips from Arif Shaikh's mobile phone, with preliminary findings suggesting that some of the footage may have been distributed abroad.
Palghar: Police have arrested a gym trainer and social media influencer at Nalasopara in Maharashtra's Palghar district after a 23-year-old woman accused him of rape and forced religious conversion, officials said on Wednesday. The accused, Arif Ayub Shaikh, 22, was arrested on Tuesday, they said.
As per the complaint lodged by the woman on October 12, Shaikh befriended her on a social media platform in April 2025. Gradually he gained her trust and took her to his home, where he sexually assaulted her on several occasions, an official of Nalasopara police station said.
The victim accused Shaikh of subjecting her to physical abuse, and forcing her alongside his mother, Ruksana to undergo religious conversion under the pretext of marriage. The complainant also accused the trainer's cousin, Sahil Shaikh, of trying to assault her.
During the investigation, authorities recovered more than a hundred explicit video clips from Arif Shaikh's mobile phone, with preliminary findings suggesting that some of the footage may have been distributed abroad.
Following his arrest, the accused was produced before a local court, which remanded him in police custody for three days.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 3) Shashikant Borate said multiple cases have been registered against the main accused, his mother and his cousin under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) pertaining to rape, wrongful confinement, voluntarily causing hurt, assault and criminal intimidation.
Earlier this week, another case was registered against Shaikh at the Nalasopara police station for allegedly passing objectionable remarks over the Navratri festival. He was booked under the charge of deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya visited the Nalasopara police station on Tuesday to get information regarding the police's action in the case.
In a post on X, Somaiya said, "Exposed Nalasopara Mumbai Love JIHAD. 16 to 22 years old 1 dozen Hindu girls cheated, sexually exploited. More than 30 videos found from Arif Shaikh and The Gang. Four FIRs registered in 2 days."
In another post, the former BJP MP said, "Nalasopara Love JIHAD. More than 100 videos of more than dozen 16 to 23 year old Hindu girls...from Nalasopara, Kandivali, Borivali, Navi Mumbai...Arif, Sohail, Ahmad Memon, Ruksana...involvement of dozen such gangsters exposed till now. Foreign transactions found on Arif Shaikh mobile. Seems a big gang exploiting young Hindu girls of Mumbai Metropolitan Region."