Rape of Japanese tourists shocks Agra

Agra, Sep 24 - The city of the Taj woke up Monday with the disturbing news of two Japanese women allegedly being held hostage for three days and gang-raped by three men, further tarnishing the image of this prime tourist destination.

The two women, who lodged a complaint at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) police station Saturday night after managing to flee from their captors in Agra, said they had been befriended by three men who have been identified as Sunny, Rajan Singh and Alif.

The trio invited them to a secluded place, where they were held hostage for three days Saturday and repeatedly raped, said a Delhi Police officer.

While the women have flown back home, police here were scrambling for leads.

'So far no arrests have been made. But we are confident of a breakthrough soon. The arrests of those named in the police complaint will be made as soon as our investigations are over. We have some definite clues,' Superintendent (city) Prem Narayan told IANS.

This is the fourth incident involving Japanese tourists in the last one year.

In September 2006, a Japanese student was abducted and there is still no trace of him. His mother has visited Agra to pressure the police to search for him but to no avail.

Another Japanese tourist was reported missing three months after the Kota disappearance, but was found drunk after 36 hours.

And last month, one Japanese tourist became the victim of poisoning.

Tourism industry sources in Agra said the Japanese tourists were victims of a gang of 'lapkas' (illegal guides without any permission or certificate). A few of these lapkas had even married Japanese girls.

'They are fluent in Japanese, that helps them to build an instant rapport,' said a hotelier in Taj Ganj area.

'This kind of lawlessness should not be allowed in this sensitive industry,' said an office bearer of the Hotels and Restaurant Association.

(c) Indo-Asian News Service

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