KULLU: A tourist from Delhi was raped in her hotel room near McLeodganj in Dharamshala in Himachal’s Kangra district on Sunday, allegedly by a friend of her employer who runs a hotel in the temple town of Jawalamukhi.The suspect, Kangra native Shubham, has been arrested. The woman says he barged into her room when she was alone and sexually assaulted her. The survivor lives and works in Delhi and had travelled to Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district with three friends, including her employer. A police officer said the group first visited Jawalamukhi on the invitation of Shubham, who is a friend of the survivor’s advocate and owns a hotel there.
After staying in Jawalamukhi for two days, the group arrived in Dharamshala, some 60km away, on July 19 and checked into a hotel near McLeodganj. Shubham also tagged along and stayed in the same hotel, say police.In her statement to police, the woman said that on Sunday, all her friends went out sightseeing but she stayed back as she was not feeling well. Knowing that she was alone, Shubham barged into her room and raped her, says the complaint.Also Read: Uncle, his neighbour held for repeatedly raping 12-year-oldAccording to the complainant, he threatened her as well, but she decided to approach police. A police team responded immediately and went after the accused. He had fled the hotel but was tracked down and nabbed in McLeodganj.Kangra Assistant Superintendent of Police Bir Bahadur said that a case has been registered on charges of rape and criminal intimidation on the basis of the woman’s complaint. She has been medically examined.“We have arrested the accused, and the inquiry into the case is on. We are also questioning the complainant’s friends, who came with her to Dharamshala,” added the ASP.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
