Man held for raping Japanese woman in Manali

Our Correspondent

Kullu, June 1

The Manali police have arrested a taxi driver for allegedly raping a 30-year-old Japanese national in Manali on Friday. Shalini Agnihotri, SP, Kullu, said the victim approached the police on Thursday and alleged that she was raped by the taxi driver on May 30.

The SP said the victim had arrived in Manali on May 29 from Kaza and she missed the bus to Dharamsala the next day.

The alleged accused offered to take her to Kullu in his taxi to catch the next bus.

The SP said the victim stated that she had beer with the driver and later he took her to a secluded place in his vehicle near Kullu, where the accused consumed more beer. The SP said the victim said later he raped her inside the vehicle and dropped her back to Manali in the morning.

The SP said thevictim had no clue about the make or number of the vehicle.

She said after analysing various clues given by the victim and the CCTV footage, the police was able to zero in on the suspect. The alleged suspect was 38-year-old and a resident of Katola village of Mandi district, she added.

The SP said the test identification parade of the arrested suspect and the victim would be carried out in the court on Saturday.

She added that medical examination of the victim was carried out in Kullu hospital, on Thursday.

She said other evidence and DNA samples had been collected. The SP added that the Embassy concerned had been informed and the victim was scheduled to go back from Delhi on June 3.

The SP further said the vehicle bearing a temporary registration number belonging to the suspect had also been impounded.

The SP said the police helpline numbers were available on all taxis for any kind of emergency and effective measures would be taken to ensure safety of tourists.