The wife of a revenue official has filed a police complaint alleging that her husband, Ashish Gupta, converted to Islam, changed his name to Mohammad Yusuf, and married a Muslim woman in the southern Uttar Pradesh town of Maudaha.

The saga began on September 2 when Ashish Gupta assumed his role as Naib Tehsildar in Maudaha. For days, an unfamiliar figure was seen at the town’s Kachariya Baba Masjid, ardently participating in namaz. The town’s curiosity piqued, an inquiry ensued, revealing the man’s identity as Mohammad Yusuf, a self-proclaimed resident of Kanpur.

However, further probe by the people revealed that Mr Yusuf was none other than the Naib Tehsildar Ashish Gupta himself. Anticipating potential fallouts of the bizarre situation, the mosque’s cleric alerted the police.

A fresh twist emerged with the entry of Mr Gupta’s wife – Aarti Yagyasaini – who filed a case of forced religious conversion and ‘immoral’ marriage of her husband to a woman named Rukshaar. The complaint implicated individuals with unknown identities, adding a new layer of mystery to the story.

Ms Yagyasaini’s police complaint claims Rukhsaar’s father, identified as Munna, along with a cleric from the mosque and several others, orchestrated the conversion on December 24, before the alleged forced wedding.

It remains unclear whether Mr Gupta was forcibly converted to Islam or if he did it on his own accord to legitimise an affair with Rukshaar. All angles are being probed, the police said.

Salaar, helmed by Prashanth Neel and starring Shruti Haasan and Prabhas in pivotal roles, has been one of the most-anticipated films of the year. The film is a lavishly-mounted big-budget entertainer and the glimpses shared have been impressive.

Shruti Haasan took to her social media handle yesterday as she shared some BTS moments from Salaar. From camera clippings to posing with the cast and crew to the extensive locations where they shot. She captioned it with, “SALAAR memories. I truly had the best time working with these awesome awesome people, full of light and positivity. We had so much fun making this movie too Prabhas fed and cared for us so well, Prashant sir was so fun with his between-shots races and matches and Bhuvan sir made a whole entire music video with me! It makes me happy when good people get good things in life. I loved being in this movie and all the memories we made with so so so much hard work from every single person in the crew that worked tirelessly. Thank you Prashant sir for making me a part of your insane majestic world and Thankyou Hombale films and team too.”

The film opened up to mixed reviews and was released on December 21, 2023.

Arbaaz Khan recently tied the knot with makeup artist Sshura Khan. The actor-producer has been posting numerous snapshots and clips from their intimate nikah ceremony, held at Arpita Khan Sharma’s residence in Mumbai on December 24. Among these was an unseen video featuring Arbaaz serenading his wife with the song Tere Mast Mast Do Nain from Salman Khan’s Dabangg, a moment filled with joy and Shura’s gleeful response to her husband’s heartfelt performance.

Taking to Instagram, Arbaaz humorously commented on his singing skills, stating, “No wonder my father wanted me to be a cricketer instead of a singer,” alongside the shared video. Another viral video showcased Arbaaz’s son, Arhaan, playing the guitar for his father while Arbaaz recorded the touching moment on his phone.

The wedding celebration was attended by close family members including Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Arbaaz’s son Arhaan Khan, his parents Salim Khan and Salma Khan, Helen, Raveena Tandon with her daughter Rasha Thadani, and Iulia Vantur. Arbaaz and Shura crossed paths on the set of the upcoming movie Patna Shukla.

Arbaaz expressed gratitude, sharing a few pictures from the ceremony along with the message, “In the presence of our loved ones, me and mine begin a lifetime of love and togetherness from this day on! Need all your blessings and good wishes on our special day!”