In a disturbing saga of deception and horror, the brutal murder of a Hindu woman named Pooja has sent tremors across the nation. A quiet life shattered by monstrous betrayal, this tragedy unfolded between November 16, 2024, and May 2, 2025, across two Indian states—Haryana and Uttarakhand—but its roots stretch back to a web of lies spun with disturbing intent. The chilling details of this case not only expose a heinous crime but also highlight a growing pattern of “Love Jihad”, where Hindu women are lured into relationships under false identities by Muslim men, only to face abuse or death.

In 2022, Pooja, a 35-year-old divorced mother of two, was working hard to rebuild her life in Gurugram, Haryana. Employed at a spa center alongside her sister, she was doing her best to provide for her two teenage children, aged 17 and 14. That year, she met Mushtaq Ahmad, a 31-year-old cab driver from Gori Kheda village in Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand. Their first meeting was purely professional. Pooja had hired his cab to help her mother reach the hospital. But this seemingly innocent encounter would eventually evolve into a dangerous and deceptive relationship.

“Pooja worked at a spa center in Gurugram, reportedly supporting Mushtaq financially and even purchasing a plot for him in Sitarganj.”

This statement, confirmed in multiple local reports and family testimonies, reveals the extent of her emotional and financial investment in the man she believed she loved. The relationship, however, was built on a lie. Mushtaq introduced himself as ‘Sunil Yadav’, a name that carries clear Hindu identity markers. His real name, Mohammad Mushtaq, and his Muslim background were deliberately hidden from Pooja.

“In 2022, Pooja was working at a beauty parlour in Gurugram where she met a man who identified himself as ‘Sunil Yadav’. Later, she found out his name was Mohammad Mushtaq,” the report claims.

This concealment of religious identity—a deliberate fraud—was not a minor detail. It was the foundation of a relationship that would ultimately turn fatal. Pooja, believing she was with a man of her own faith and background, shared her life, home, and income with Mushtaq for over two years.

To outsiders, their life in Gurugram may have appeared normal. Pooja’s family remembers her as a devoted and hardworking woman who gave everything for the man she trusted. She even helped him secure land in Sitarganj, thinking of a future together. But there was no formal marriage, and Mushtaq’s real identity remained under wraps. This dark secret now appears to have been a calculated move from the very beginning.

“The police could not confirm a live-in relationship,” stated Manikant Mishra, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Udham Singh Nagar, adding further ambiguity to Mushtaq’s intentions.

This statement has raised troubling questions—was Mushtaq deliberately avoiding any formal association with Pooja so he could easily disown or abandon her later? If yes, then it only reinforces the belief that his involvement with her was exploitative, preying on her vulnerability as a single mother navigating life alone.

By October 2024, everything collapsed. Mushtaq, without informing Pooja, married another woman in Uttarakhand. The news of this betrayal shocked Pooja, who traveled to Udham Singh Nagar to confront him. The encounter spiraled into chaos. Mushtaq’s family sided with the new bride, forcing both him and Pooja out of the house. Even a local panchayat meeting couldn't resolve the deep tensions.

Then came the fatal deception.

On November 15, 2024, Mushtaq took Pooja to his sister’s home in Islam Nagar, Khatima, under the pretext of patching things up. The next day, he led her to a secluded location near the Kali Puliya underpass in Nadanna village, and there—far from any help—he committed a crime so heinous that it defies comprehension.

In a cold and calculated act, Mushtaq slit Pooja’s throat, beheaded her, and dismembered her body. He wrapped her torso in a bedsheet, stuffed her severed head in a sack, and dumped both into a canal, according to police reports and preliminary charges.

After the crime, Mushtaq vanished. He escaped to Mangaluru, Karnataka, opened a puncture repair shop, and switched off his phone, cutting all ties with his past as though nothing had happened.

This was not a crime of passion. This was a pre-planned murder, a result of betrayal masked as love. Mushtaq’s false Hindu identity, his sudden marriage to another woman, and his gruesome act of violence—every detail forms a disturbing pattern seen in several Love Jihad cases across India.

Muslim men like Mushtaq, hiding behind fake names like Sunil Yadav, have repeatedly used this tactic to enter into relationships with Hindu women. Once trust is established, it is systematically shattered—leading to either religious conversion, abandonment, or, as in Pooja’s case, brutal death.

The Long Search: A Sister’s Resolve and a Heartbreaking Discovery

In the weeks following Pooja’s disappearance, there was an eerie silence. No alarm bells were raised, no public outcry followed. Her vanishing act, tragically, mirrored the kind of isolation and abandonment she had begun to experience ever since she shifted to Uttarakhand with Mushtaq Ahmad. For over a month, Pooja’s absence was a mystery—one that nobody seemed to be rushing to solve.

It wasn’t until December 19, 2024, that a flicker of hope in the form of action was initiated. Her younger sister, deeply worried after being unable to reach her for weeks, filed a missing person report at Gurugram’s Sector-5 police station.

But this step came only after weeks of delay and what the family now alleges was gross negligence by the authorities.

“The case languished for months, with Pooja’s family alleging that the Sitarganj police failed to act on their initial complaints in November 2024.”

The pain of this delay stings deeper than words can convey. Pooja’s loved ones were not only tormented by her absence but were also left to chase justice through a fog of administrative apathy. The vacuum created by inaction grew heavier with each passing day, crushing her family with grief and confusion.

By April 2025, after months of frustration and despair, the case finally began to move forward. A joint operation between Gurugram and Uttarakhand police tracked down Mushtaq, who had returned to Sitarganj. His detention was not just a procedural checkpoint—it became the unraveling of a ghastly truth. During questioning, Mushtaq confessed to the horrific crime and guided the police to the spot where he had dumped Pooja’s remains.

On April 30, 2025, police officers made a grim discovery. Pooja’s decomposed torso was recovered from beneath a bridge near Nanda Canal village in Khatima.

“Her brother Subhash identified the remains through a piece of her clothing, a dupatta, that clung to the body.”

The identification, though unofficial, was heartbreakingly personal. A brother forced to recognize his sister not by her face, but by a piece of cloth she wore in life—a dupatta that survived the brutality of her murder. The remains were quickly sent to Haldwani Medical College for DNA testing, but there was a disturbing obstacle in confirming her identity. Despite extensive searches carried out on May 1 and 2, Pooja’s head was still missing.

The family’s worst fears had materialized in the most traumatic form imaginable. What was once the hopeful search for a missing woman had transformed into a chilling murder investigation. And for her brother Ashish, who never stopped looking for her, the moment was emotionally devastating.

“Pooja’s brother Ashish, who had been searching for Pooja for five and a half months, started crying after seeing her dead body,” an X (formerly Twitter) post by @abdullah_0mar recounted.

Those words, simple yet piercing, captured the very soul of a family’s heartbreak. The missing head, which remains untraced, continues to haunt their pursuit of justice and closure. The inability to perform last rites or even recognize her face has added another layer of pain, making it difficult for her loved ones to let go or find peace.

The Investigation: A Web of Lies and Unresolved Questions

While Mushtaq’s arrest on May 1, 2025, brought a measure of clarity, it also opened a disturbing window into his motives, marked by contradictions and sinister undertones. During interrogation, he confessed to the killing, justifying it in vague terms.

“Mushtaq admitted to the crime, citing a love affair gone sour and pressure from his recent marriage as motives,” said SSP Manikant Mishra to ABP Live.

But these reasons feel painfully inadequate in the face of such an extreme act of violence. If it was truly about relationship stress, why the savage nature of the crime? Why behead a woman, dismember her, and throw her parts into a canal? These aren’t the actions of a man burdened by emotional confusion—they suggest premeditation, rage, and a fear of exposure.

Was Mushtaq scared that Pooja would go public with the truth about his false Hindu identity? Did he fear arrest, societal backlash, or losing control of the lies he’d spun for two years?

More alarming are the allegations from Pooja’s family that Mushtaq may have attempted to sell her—an accusation that remains under investigation but points to a deeper level of exploitation.

Today, Mushtaq is in judicial custody, but the search for Pooja’s head is still ongoing. It’s not just a critical piece of forensic evidence—it is a symbol of what was stolen from her and her family: dignity, truth, and closure.

This is not an isolated crime. Pooja’s case is one of many where Hindu women are reportedly deceived by men using false religious identities. The term Love Jihad—often debated, frequently politicized—finds grim validation in cases like this. Mushtaq Ahmad’s use of a fabricated identity to build trust, his violent betrayal, and his disappearance post-crime mirrors an unsettling trend.

This murder is not just about a man and a woman—it’s about trust weaponized and love turned into a tool for domination.

As of May 2, 2025, the investigation continues, with every effort being made to locate Pooja’s head and seal the case with truth and justice. But for her family, every day is a reminder of what has been lost.

The silence of the authorities, the negligence of early police response, and the horror of what Pooja endured must all serve as a wake-up call.

A Call for Reflection and Action

This tragedy forces Indian society to look at a recurring pattern. When Muslim men allegedly use false names to enter relationships with Hindu women, it doesn’t just endanger individuals—it tears at the fabric of trust in mixed communities. Pooja’s story must not be brushed under the carpet as just another crime—it must be treated as a national concern.

Justice for Pooja is not merely about convicting Mushtaq. It is about understanding the patterns, educating women about red flags, and creating legal and social frameworks that prevent such deception in the future.

Her life was taken in the most merciless manner imaginable. But if her story lights the way for awareness, accountability, and reform, it may yet lead to something greater than grief—a path to protection for others walking the same path she once did.