A woman, who had come to India in December from Belgium, went back home in less than 24 hours after she was allegedly harassed by several people on her trip to the country
A woman, who had come to India in December from Belgium, went back home in less than 24 hours after she was allegedly harassed by several people on her trip to the country, the police said on Monday.
Upon her return to her country, she wrote to the Belgium Embassy, which further shared the complaint with the Ministry of External Affairs.
Then, a case was registered, after which an investigation by the Delhi police is underway.
In the complaint emailed to the Belgium Embassy, the victim wrote that she landed in Delhi on December 6 around 4 pm.
After reaching Delhi, she bought a SIM card and reached New Delhi [Railway Station] from where she took an autorickshaw that took her to Minto Road.
But instead of taking her to the destination, the driver allegedly stopped in front of two men who showed her “cards of police” and told her that the area was cordoned off because of protests and in order to move ahead, she will have to get permission from the tourist police, whose address they provided her.
The autorickshaw driver then dropped her off a few minutes later at a spot where there were six men in uniform who told her that the zone where she wishes to go is inaccessible and that she should immediately leave New Delhi, the victim wrote in her email.
The victim was then allegedly shown videos of “live violent protests”.
The woman was also asked whether her jewellry was made of gold or not.
The men then offered to call the hotel she had booked and conned her into believing that the booking was cancelled.
The men then suggested she go to central Delhi and directed her towards an autorickshaw, which was waiting outside the “police centre”.
The driver took her to a travel agency in NDMC market where she was received by two men, who allegedly made her speak with a someone over the phone for hotel booking.
“They could sense I am overwhelmed by the situation. I started to worry and was tired after wandering for five hours. They offered me a few hotels, which I said no to because they were expensive. Exhausted, I said yes to the one that suits me. I paid $40 cash [sic],” she wrote.
She was then dropped at the hotel where she was taken to the third floor in a room with no windows and internet connection.
The victim then locked herself in the room and did not open the door at all.
Later, when her new SIM card activated, she contacted an acquaintance in Rishikesh and narrated the ordeal.
The acquaintance then called the hotel where the woman had made the booking earlier and was informed that her room had not cancelled.
A staffer of the hotel where the victim had made the booking earlier, came and took her there.
The next day, she took the first plane back to her country. She was startled.
In the complaint to the police, the Ministry wrote that the woman was harassed by several people including an autorickshaw driver, a travel agency, a hotel as well as fake police forces.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said that based on the complaint, a case under relevant sections of Delhi Prevention of Touting and Malpractices against Tourist Act and cheating has been registered on Saturday and that the victim is being contacted.
The police are also looking into the places mentioned by the victim in her complaint.
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 "Harassed on visit to India, Belgian tourist leaves country in 24 hrs")
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