Bengaluru, April 23 (IANS) In view of the sexual assault of an American woman tourist in Madikeri district, the Tourism Department on Thursday issued an order cancelling the licence of the homestay where the incident occurred.
The American tourist, who had come to India on a trip, was staying at Devi Villa Homestay in Kutta village. During her stay, the cook, identified as Vrijesh Kumar, a native of Jharkhand, allegedly mixed an intoxicating substance into a sweet drink and gave it to her. According to the complaint filed by the victim, he sexually assaulted her after she lost consciousness.
Following the incident, the Tourism Department has shut down the homestay — whose licence had been issued only in January 2024 — citing failure to ensure tourist safety and involvement in illegal activities.
The district administration has also issued strict instructions stating that all homestays in the district must mandatorily adhere to tourist safety regulations.
It can be recalled that a woman from Washington had arrived at the ‘Devi Villa’ homestay in Kutta village for a vacation and during her stay, she was allegedly raped by the cook working at the homestay.
Serious allegations have also emerged that after the incident, when the woman tried to seek help, the homestay owner Vishal allegedly switched off the Wi-Fi connection for nearly three days and prevented her from contacting the outside world, in an attempt to cover up the case.
Police, who are investigating the case, have already arrested both Vrajesh Kumar and the owner Vishal and remanded them to judicial custody.
After three days, the victim told them that she was going to Mysuru and managed to leave the place. Upon reaching Mysuru, the woman contacted the American Embassy and informed them about the horrifying incident.
The Embassy officials then reached out to Mysuru authorities via email and directed them to register a case. Following these instructions, a case was registered at a police station in Mysuru.
After the incident came to light, officials from the Ministry of External Affairs from Delhi and Chennai visited Kodagu on Tuesday. Meanwhile, both the rape accused and the homestay owner have been arrested in connection with the case.
The court has remanded them to judicial custody until May 3.
Karnataka Home Minister, G. Parameshwara, said on Wednesday that there were attempts to hush up the case, but those attempts were foiled by the police.
Home Minister Parameshwara stated, “As soon as the matter came to light, the police arrested the accused. Further action will be taken as per the law.”
He added, “It appears that after the incident, there were attempts to cover it up. But once the police received information, they acted promptly and gathered details.”
“Action must be taken accordingly. Whoever is running such establishments as homestays must have proper licencing. We have already laid down SOPs on what needs to be followed to operate a homestay. If such incidents occur in violation of those norms, legal action must be taken,” he said.
“Such incidents do not send a good message about the state or Indian society. Especially when outsiders or foreigners are involved, it reflects on our society and our country. That is why strict action is necessary, and we are taking it,” he added.
–IANS
mka/rad