Delhi police have arrested two men in connection with the alleged rape and molestation of a 36-year-old British tourist at a hotel in the Indian capital.
The woman was reportedly assaulted in a hotel in the Mahipalpur area, located 15km south of the Indian Parliament.
According to police reports, one of the accused, identified as Kailash, had befriended the London-based tourist on Instagram. He has been arrested on charges of rape, while a hotel staff member named Wasim was detained for alleged molestation.
“This is not a case of gang rape. These are two separate incidents of sexual assault, and the suspects are not connected,” a South West Delhi police officer told The Independent.
Authorities stated that the British national had travelled to Delhi to meet Kailash after forming a friendship with him on social media. She had been on holiday in Maharashtra and Goa when she invited him to join her, as reported by NDTV. However, Kailash declined to travel, leading the woman to visit Delhi earlier this week.
Upon checking into the hotel on Tuesday, the suspect, a Delhi resident, allegedly visited her and committed the assault. Additionally, the woman reported that a hotel staff member inappropriately touched her in the lift.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated: “We are supporting a British woman in India and are in touch with the local authorities.”
This incident comes less than a week after a 27-year-old Israeli tourist and her Indian homestay operator were gang-raped near a UNESCO World Heritage site in Karnataka. During the attack, a fellow Indian male traveller was killed, while two others, including an American man, survived.
The two women, who were stargazing with three male tourists near Sanapur Lake in Hampi, Karnataka, were ambushed by three assailants last Thursday. The incident has led to a rise in concerns among foreign and local travellers, prompting many to leave the state or cancel their trips to India.
India has witnessed a surge in reported sexual assaults, with 31,516 rape cases recorded in 2022—a 20% increase from the previous year—according to the latest figures from the National Crime Records Bureau. However, experts believe the real numbers are significantly higher due to the stigma surrounding sexual violence.
The gang rape of a Spanish tourist in the eastern state of Jharkhand last year sparked widespread outrage and renewed discussions about women’s safety in a country grappling with rising crimes against women.
