US woman gets molested on Delhi metro, vows never to visit India. Her note is viral

The boy's mother, the US woman claimed, defended his actions by saying he had never been close to a blonde woman before and had gotten 'carried away'. (AI-generated image)

An American woman has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a teenage boy at a Delhi Metro station during an eight-day visit to India—an incident she says has permanently altered her view of the country and deterred her from future travel to South Asia. The account, shared on social media platform X and widely amplified over the weekend, has reignited debate over women’s safety in India’s capital, particularly for foreign travellers.

The allegation surfaced after Gaurav Sabnis, an Indian-origin professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, shared screenshots of messages he said were sent to him by his former student. In the post, Sabnis said he had warned the woman ahead of her trip to be vigilant about sexual harassment in Delhi. “Sadly, it came true,” he wrote on X.

When this former student called me in November for suggestions for her India trip for a friend's wedding, I told her, be on guard for sexual harassment. Especially in Delhi. Here, you're just another blond. There, you'll be a target. Sadly, came true. Greatest culture! pic.twitter.com/LThSNG5p4r

— Gaurav Sabnis (@gauravsabnis) January 16, 2026

In her message, the woman described being repeatedly asked for selfies from the moment she landed in Delhi, beginning at the airport baggage carousel. She said she declined requests from men but sometimes agreed to pictures with women and children, using what she described as her “judgment”.

‘He grabbed me and laughed’

According to the account shared, the incident occurred at a Delhi Metro station when a teenage boy—whom she estimated to be about 14 or 15 years old—approached her for a photograph while accompanied by his mother and sister.

The woman alleged that after initially placing an arm on her shoulder, the boy groped her breasts and slapped her buttocks, then laughed as if it were a joke. She said she reacted by grabbing him by the collar and pushing him away, after which his mother accused her of “overreacting”.

The family, she claimed, defended the boy’s actions by saying he had never been close to a blonde woman before and had gotten “carried away”.

There is no confirmation so far of any police complaint being filed in connection with the incident, and Delhi Police has not issued an official statement on the matter. The incident remains an allegation based on the woman’s account shared via social media.

‘I don’t think I will ever return’

Despite describing her hosts and colleagues in India as “great” and much of her trip as memorable, the woman said the alleged assault left her shaken and depressed for days. She added that while she loved the country, she did not believe she would ever return.

“I’m going to give all of South Asia a pass,” she reportedly wrote, adding that the experience made her reflect on whether such harassment was an everyday reality for Indian women.

Her comments, particularly the suggestion that the incident was symptomatic of a broader cultural problem, triggered sharp reactions online, drawing both condemnation of the alleged act and concern about the reputational damage to India as a tourism destination.

Foreign women repeatedly flag Delhi as unsafe

The episode comes amid a growing body of anecdotal and survey-based evidence suggesting that Delhi is perceived as particularly unsafe by international women travellers.

In December 2025, Moneycontrol reported on a Russian influencer travelling in India who rated Delhi minus one out of ten on safety, describing the city as “chaotic” and saying she “never felt relaxed here, not even for a second”. The influencer said she was repeatedly warned not to step out alone and felt safest in southern cities such as Kerala, Bengaluru and Chennai.

In her Instagram post, she wrote that constant staring, crowding and unsolicited attention in Delhi made her anxious throughout her stay, in contrast to other parts of the country where she felt significantly more at ease.

Survey data mirrors perception gap

These individual accounts align with broader survey findings. The National Annual Report & Index on Women’s Safety (NARI) 2025, which surveyed over 12,000 women across 31 Indian cities, ranked Delhi among the least safe cities for women, particularly after dark and on public transport. Nearly 40 per cent of respondents said they felt unsafe or “not so safe” in their own cities.

Experts note that while crime data alone does not fully capture lived experiences, repeated accounts from both Indian and foreign women point to persistent gaps in enforcement, social accountability and deterrence.