Mirzapur, May 24 (IANS): Three persons have been arrested in connection with the rape of a married woman and attempt to forcefully convert her religion in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur district, police said.

The police added it was a case of 'love jihad' and the main accused deceived the woman by posing as a Hindu man and later raped her.

The accused has been identified as Arif Khan.

According to the survivor's complaint, she received a call from an unknown person identifying himself as Abhay Mishra. Despite the initial mix-up, they continued their conversation and grew closer over subsequent phone calls.

On March 24, when the woman visited her maternal home in Mirzapur, Arif also arrived there. Subsequently, he took her to Ambala.

Upon reaching Ambala, the woman discovered the true religious identity of Arif Khan, which led to a confrontation between them.

Arif then held the woman against her will for 25 days, during which he sexually assaulted her, the woman in her complaint said.

He also filmed the act and used the video footage to blackmail the woman.

According to the police, the accused also forced the woman to offer namaz, wear burqa and celebrate Eid while she was held captive.

The incident came to light when the victim managed to flee and the woman and her husband filed a complaint against Arif with the Mirzapur police.

Besides Arif, the police have also arrested his brother Imroz Khan and friend Shahabuddin.

The arrests were made after conducting raids in multiple states, including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.

According to Superintendent of Police Santosh Mishra, this was a clear case of 'love jihad', and the police are actively conducting an investigation into the matter.

The official assured that appropriate action would be taken in the matter.