Taxi driver held for raping Japanese tourist in Manali

THE COMPLAINANT TOLD THE POLICE THAT SHE FEARED DELHI’S 2012 GANGRAPE LIKE BRUTALITY AND SURRENDERED AS THE ACCUSED RAPED HER

SHIMLA : Police arrested a taxi driver on Saturday on charges of raping a Japanese tourist in Manali. The 30-year- old victim approached the police on Thursday and informed them about the incident, which took place on Wednesday.

“She alleged that a taxi driver sexually assaulted her on May 30 (Wednesday),” Kullu superintendent of police (SP) Shalini Agnihotri said. The victim complained that the taxi driver took her to a secluded place in a forest near Manali and raped her, the SP said.

Accused taxi driver Deepak was produced before a court and sent on remand. He has been booked under Section 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) and 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code. (IPC). The tourist said that she had arrived in Manali on May 29 after her trip to Kaza in Lahaul and Spiti. She said she was supposed to visit Dharamshala on May 30 but had missed her bus, so she hired a taxi for sightseeing around Manali.

“She said that she had asked the taxi driver to take her to the bus stand in the evening,” said Agnihotri. However, the taxi driver took her to Kullu, assuring her that he would catch her bus mid way, the victim alleged, adding that later, he took her to a forest and sexually assaulted her.

He allegedly also threatened her of dire consequences if she disclosed the incident.

“The complainant said she feared Delhi gangrape in 2012like brutality and surrendered as he raped her.” said Agnihotri.

It took almost 12 hours for the police to zero down on the accused as the victim was clueless about the vehicle’s registration number and location of the incident.

“It was a blind case as the victim did not know the required details to nab the culprit. The car model and registration number were also not known to her. She could not even identify the place of the incident,” the SP said.