Indian man accused of kidnapping and raping former colleague to 'force her to marry him'

Syed Emad Hasan allegedly proposed to the 27-year-old woman, who rejected him due to the difference in their religion

Indian students protest against the rapes of two minor girls outside the police headquarters in New Delhi in October (Getty Images)

An Indian man has been accused of kidnapping and raping a female colleague in an attempt to force her to marry him.

Syed Emad Hasan, a 30-year-old software engineer from Hyderabad, allegedly proposed to the 27-year-old woman but was rejected due to the difference in religion, according to the Times of India.

“The woman told us she was forced to talk to Hasan as he showed her photos and videos of them together in Hyderabad, and threatened to send them to her father. He also demanded that she send inappropriate photos of her,” Inspector S Ravinder said, according to the Daily Mail.

When she returned home to Hyderabad to confront him, he reportedly kidnapped her and sexually assaulted her in his flat for three days, according to the Indian Express.

He threatened to continue doing so until she agreed to marry him after converting to Islam. He even threatened to set her on fire and strangle her,” an officer of the Hyderabad ‘She Team’ a police unit tasked with investigating sexual assault, said.

After the woman managed to send out a distressed message to friends, police tracked her down in Mr Hasan’s flat.

“We found her in the bathroom with injuries on her head and body. She was scared and in shock, but managed to narrate her ordeal. Hasan said they were lovers, but the woman appears very scared in his presence,’’ the official said.

The news comes after a series of high-profile cases of sexual assaults and crimes against women in India that charities have said the government is not doing enough to address.

There have been accusations that government officials who, instead of condemning sexist attitudes towards women, are actually promoting them.

Earlier this year one senior politician blamed rapes on the alignment of the stars. "These days women's stars aren't in their favour, that is why such incidents are taking place," said Ram Kanwar, Chattisgarh state's Home Minister Nanki, the Indian Express reported.

There was a 26.7 per cent increase in crimes against females in India in 2013 compared to the year before, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

Violence is not the only problem, as some women also face other forms of discrimination lacking access to finance, education, employment, inheritance and healthcare.