Delhi woman raped in McLeodganj hotel room by owner; arrested

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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 Times of India reported.

The accused was identified as Shubham, a Kangra native. According to a complaint lodged by the woman, she was staying in the hotel near Dharamshala with her three friends and her employer, who is a friend of the accused. On Sunday, when the woman's friends had gone sightseeing, Shubham entered her room and raped her.

The victim, in her complaint, told the police that Shubham 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, the report added.

A police officer was quoted by TOI as saying that 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, police added. In her statement, the victim 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.

According to the report, the accused also threatened her with dire consequences if she told anyone about the incident. After the woman decided to approach police, a 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 (ASP) Bir Bahadur was quoted by TOI as saying that a case has been registered on charges of rape and criminal intimidation based on 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," the ASP added.