Japanese tourist allegedly raped in south Indian town

NEW DELHI, India – A man was arrested Sunday, November 27, for allegedly raping a Japanese tourist at a popular beach resort in southern India, in the latest case of sexual assault against a visitor. 

The 35-year-old woman was found bleeding by hotel staff in the town of Kovalam early Sunday and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in the Kerala state capital Thiruvananthapuram. 

The woman sustained internal injuries but doctors have declared her out of danger.

Police identified the accused as a 25-year-old whose family runs a handicrafts store in the tourist hotspot. 

“He has been sent to judicial custody and we are waiting for the victim to recover to record her full statement,” local police officer Vipin Kumar told AFP.

Japanese officials in New Delhi have been informed about the incident, he said.

The woman came to India two weeks ago and arrived in the beach town on Saturday, November 26, hours before the alleged assault took place. 

It was unclear how the two met, police said. 

Sexual attacks on tourists in India are widespread, with several western countries warning visitors about the risk.

Last year a Japanese woman was drugged and raped by a tourist guide in the western city of Jaipur, less than a month after 6 men gang-raped a 22-year-old Japanese tourist in the eastern city of Kolkata.

An Indian court in June convicted 5 men for gang-raping a 52-year-old Danish tourist in New Delhi in 2014. They were jailed for life.

India is facing intense scrutiny over its efforts to curb violence against women in general following the fatal gang rape of an Indian medical student in New Delhi in December 2012, which sparked a global outcry. – Rappler.com