A 22-year-old American woman was allegedly raped in a hotel in central Delhi’s Paharganj on May 16 by a middle-aged man who was a guest at the inn, police said on Friday. An FIR was registered on May 23 and the accused was arrested from the same hotel where he had allegedly raped the woman.
The victim was allegedly raped by one Jaswant Singh who entered the room of the hotel the victim had come to with her newly made Indian friends after they left the room for a brief period.
The victim had come to India with 19 American students on January 29 for a three-and-a-half-month study tour as a part of an International Development course she is studying in the US. She decided to extend her stay to spend time with her Indian-origin father’s relatives who are based in Punjab, said her lawyer Dr. Surender Singh Hooda.
Her course, which was based in Jaipur, ended on May 12 after which she came to Delhi to see off a couple of American friends who were flying back on May 14. Meanwhile, the girl and her friends met Virender, Mukesh, Aman and Sanju at a café and became friends after sharing food and drinks.
According to the Supreme Court lawyer, on May 16, Mukesh invited the victim to a hotel in Paharganj for a small get together where Virender and Sanju also joined. After a few drinks and dinner, the three left the room and told her they’ll be back in a while.
This is what the accused entered the room and allegedly raped her after which he left. “He was a healthy man with strong built and the girl couldn’t fight him despite constantly trying to resist,” said Mr Hooda.
The victim then narrated the ordeal to the three when they came back who tried to dissuade her from filing the complaint. “Indian law and police take a lot of time and you’ll get stuck for years, they told her due to which she got scared,” he said.
The three then allegedly lured her into coming to their village in Haryana on the pretext of showing her “village life”.
Later, the victim went to visit her family in Punjab where she informed them and her American friend –who’s mother is from Kerala- about the incident that happened in Delhi. The friend advised her to file a complaint and got her in touch with Mr Hooda who suggested her about the proceedings.
On May 23, based on the complaint of the girl, the FIR was registered.
Mr Hooda, however, accused police of late action and lack of sympathy. “The girl was forced to write in Hindi thought she requested them to bear with her because she doesn’t know the language. The FIR was finally registered after two hours when we threatened the officer to rake up the matter with higher officials,” he said.
He also alleged that the police took unnecessary time to apprehend the accused when CCTV footage of the hotel where he was staying clearly showed the room in which he was hiding.
“When the girl came to Delhi, she saw him at the same hotel where the incident happened and informed the police. They came and searched the place to conclude, he’s not there. The girl insisted on seeing the CCTV footage after which he was arrested. The man is in Merchant Navy” said the lawyer.
The woman’s lawyer said she suspects the involvement of the friends in the incident.
Despite repeated attempts, police officers remained unavailable for comment on the same.
