The unnamed woman, believed to be in her 40s, was in the state of Tamil Nadu – a spiritual hub – where she reportedly met a man who lured her to a secluded forest to ‘meditate’
A French tourist who flew to India for a spiritual pilgrimage was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man who posed as a tour guide and lured her to a secluded spot to “meditate”. The unnamed woman, believed to be in her 40s, was in the state of Tamil Nadu where she reportedly met a man named Venkatesan, 29, while exploring different pilgrimage areas.
She was then allegedly led to a secluded forest and assaulted by Venkatesan under the pretext of meditation. The tourist managed to catch the attention of passers-by before reporting the alleged assault to police. She was then admitted to a local hospital and given a medical examination.
Indian police arrested Venkatesan on Tuesday near the Hindu Arunachaleswara temple in Tiruvannamalai following an investigation. Venkatesan met the tourist while she was exploring the spiritual hub where thousands of pilgrims flock from around the world for enlightenment and self-discovery.
Tiruvannamalai superintendent of police, M Sudhakar, said: “We acted swiftly and apprehended the suspect within hours after the survivor’s complaint. We formed special teams to identify the suspect.
“There were multiple witnesses who reported seeing the victim climbing the hills with a local man. We narrowed down the probe to five individuals who usually work as tourist guides, including the accused.
“The victim identified him as Venkatesan when he was paraded before her.” He added that Venkatesan remains in custody, and officers are investigating whether he has been involved in similar crimes in the past.
It comes just a week after a British woman was allegedly subjected to a horrific rape at a hotel in India before being sexually assaulted by staff as she attempted to flee. The victim, 36, was subjected to the attack at a hotel in Mahipalpur, South West Delhi, on Tuesday, near Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Police have now arrested a man, referred to as Kailash, 24, and a member of the hotel’s housekeeping staff, named as Wasim. During the horror attack the victim briefly left the room, and it was during this time that a member of the hotel’s housekeeping staff allegedly assaulted her.
A statement from Delhi police said: “A man was arrested on charges of rape with a British woman in a Mahipalpur hotel in Delhi. His accomplice was arrested on charges of molestation. The woman who was friends with the man through social media had come to Delhi from the UK to meet him.”
