India: Muslim Teen Runs Grooming Gang, Targeted 180 Minors, Changed Identity to Trap Hindu Girls

In a shocking case that has sent ripples across Maharashtra, India, this week, police have arrested 19-year-old jihadi, Ayan Ahmed Tanveer, alias Mohammad Ayaz, a resident of Paratwada city in Amravati district, Maharashtra, for luring over 180-280 girls and sexually exploiting them later. The accused has reportedly served as an office-bearer of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). Videos and photos on his social media show him receiving a letter from the party’s Amravati president, Haji Irfan Khan. He is also seen filming reels at AIMIM rallies. These posts were taken down after the scandal broke and went viral. AIMIM, though, is a recognized political party that Muslims formed and run; it has often drawn criticism over radical and threatening statements made against the Hindu demography by some senior Muslim leaders.

Police sources say the accused used Instagram and WhatsApp to befriend young women and minor girls. He posed under false identities and allegedly built trust through fake romantic relationships with his Hindu victims. Once a connection was made, he coerced and manipulated the victims into sharing intimate photos or videos. He also lured women to meet in person, often taking them to far-off cities such as Mumbai and Pune, sexually exploited them in a rented room, and recorded explicit footage. Authorities suspect many victims were unaware they were being recorded. These recordings were then used as blackmail to extort money. Many were forced into prostitution. Victims were threatened with exposure on social media if they did not comply. Some were reportedly coerced into further exploitation or illegal activities.

Hundreds of such videos, some estimates suggest over 350 clips, have been recovered from digital devices seized during the investigation. Reports suggest that 180 of Mohammed’s victims are found to be minors, which intensifies the seriousness of the charges. Some videos show the accused alone, while others show an accomplice accompanying him. Around 100 such videos went viral, triggering outrage across Paratwada and Achalpur. Police stepped up their action on Wednesday by forming a 47-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) and arresting three additional suspects, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to four. Officials said that after apprehending the alleged kingpin, Ayan Ahmed, on Tuesday, they detained three more individuals on Wednesday, namely, Uzair Khan Iqbal Khan (20), Mohammad Saad Mohammad Sabir (22), and Tabrez Khan Taslim Khan (24). All of them are accused of circulating the explicit videos.

Child protection agencies have been alerted. Efforts are underway to identify and support the victims. Officials say many may still be unaware that their images or videos were recorded and circulated. Investigators are also exploring whether the detainees belong to a larger network carrying out similar crimes. Police believe the scale of the operation and the extensive circulation of content point to the possible involvement of additional accomplices or even a larger, organized cyber-exploitation network.

Digital forensics teams are currently analyzing seized mobile phones, laptops, and online accounts to trace the origin, storage, and sharing of the videos. Authorities are also tracking potential recipients of the content to prevent further circulation.

The accused has been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Information Technology Act, and laws related to sexual offenses and child protection. Charges may include sexual exploitation, criminal intimidation, blackmail, and offenses under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act because minors are involved.

Police have reached out to several victims and their families to get more details. They are also looking into missing girls or suicides by victims possibly linked to this case.

One of the most disturbing aspects of this entire case is that it did not come to light through a routine police complaint, but only after a fallout within the accused group. The main accused, Ayan Ahmed alias Mohammad Ayaz, was closely linked to Uzer (Uzair) Khan, and both were allegedly involved in luring girls, recording explicit videos, and managing the content. After a personal dispute between them, Uzer Khan began leaking some of the videos. As these clips began circulating locally and on social media, they drew public attention and triggered alarm. People who came across the content alerted the authorities, allowing the police to trace it back to the accused. Had this fallout not occurred, the group of Muslim men could have continued expanding its list of victims and accumulating such material, potentially prolonging this cycle of abuse for years. It also raises a broader concern about how many similar networks of Muslim grooming gangs might be operating unnoticed in cities and towns across the country.