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Japanese tourist raped in Rajasthan

Jaipur, April 19
A Japanese tourist alleged on Wednesday that she was raped by a guest house manager in the Hindu holy town of Pushkar in Rajasthan, the police said.

The woman faxed her complaint from Agra to the Superintendent of Police of Ajmer late on Tuesday evening, the police said.

“We have already identified the accused but no arrests have been made as action would be taken only after recording a statement from the woman. I am going to Agra for that purpose,” Mr Sugan Singh, the Station House Officer of the Pushkar police station, told IANS on the telephone.

The woman said in her complaint that during her visit to Pushkar, about 140 km from here, she had stayed at a guest house opposite the Rangji Temple where she met Bablu, the 21-year-old manager and also the son of the guest house owner.

The accused in a very short span of time became friendly with her and also introduced her to his family members, it said.

Bablu also duped the tourist of Rs 54,000, according to the complaint. He scared her by saying that Pushkar was not safe for female tourists, telling her to deposit with him the amount she had, promising to return it at the time of checking out of the guest house, the woman said.

On April 2, Bablu invited her to a party he had organised in the guest house, during which he offered her a glass of lassi - a drink made up of sweetened curd. The drink, however, contained intoxicants, making her unconscious. It was then that Bablu raped her, she has complained.

Though the woman then left for Agra, the Uttar Pradesh city famous for Taj Mahal, she also informed the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi of the alleged rape.

This is the third case of rape of a foreign tourist in Rajasthan, among the most preferred tourist destinations in the country.

A German woman was raped by a rickshaw driver last year while another German tourist was raped by one of her friends in Alwar last month. — IANS