American Woman Staying at Indian Guesthouse Claims She Was Sexually Assaulted After Drinking Beverage

Violent Crimes Against Tourists Continue in India

Police Arrest One Suspect and Guesthouse Owner

An American woman traveling in India claimed she was sexually assaulted after drinking a suspicious beverage at a guesthouse, prompting local police to launch an investigation.

Wi-Fi Turned Off to Block External Contact

According to the Indian daily Hindustan Times (HT) on April 22 (local time), a woman identified as A from Washington, United States, recently reported being sexually assaulted at a guesthouse in the Kodagu district of Karnataka, southwestern India.

Local police stated, "A claimed that she was sexually assaulted after drinking a beverage suspected to contain an intoxicating substance." Based on her statement and related evidence, police arrested two individuals: one suspect and the guesthouse owner. It is not known whether the suspect was also a guest at the accommodation or who directly handed her the drink.

During the investigation, it was also revealed that the guesthouse owner attempted to cover up the crime. The owner reportedly disabled the Wi-Fi at the guesthouse for three days after the incident to prevent A from seeking external help.

Three days after the incident, A informed the guesthouse owner that she would be moving elsewhere and managed to leave the guesthouse to seek assistance from U.S. authorities. The U.S. authorities subsequently notified Indian police of the incident via email. Currently, the suspect and the guesthouse owner are being held in custody until May 3, pending a court decision.

Over 30,000 Rape Cases Annually... Actual Number Likely Higher

The photo is unrelated to any specific expressions in the article. Pixabay

Violent crimes targeting foreign tourists continue to occur in India. In March last year, near a lake in Hampi, Karnataka, an Israeli female tourist and a local woman were gang-raped while stargazing. Three Indian men on motorcycles approached the scene, pushed three male tourists—including an American—into a nearby canal, and then committed the crime against the two women. One of the men who fell into the canal died, and the three perpetrators were sentenced to death in February this year.

India, the world's most populous country with approximately 1.4 billion people, reportedly has about 30,000 rape cases annually. However, local experts believe the actual number is much higher, as many victims are reluctant to report incidents due to social stigma and fear of retaliation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.