US tourist ‘rape’ at Kodagu homestay: District court rejects main accused’s bail plea
The 25-year-old homestay worker, who hails from Jharkhand, allegedly spiked the American tourist’s drink and sexually assaulted her on April 12.
The alleged incident came to light in the third week of April after the US tourist alerted officials at the US embassy after leaving the Kodagu homestay. (Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
A district court in Karnataka’s Kodagu has rejected the bail plea of a worker accused of sexually assaulting an American tourist at a homestay facility in the scenic hill region in April this year.
The district court, which earlier granted bail to the homestay owner on May 2, rejected the bail plea of the 25-year-old resort worker on Thursday.
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“The petition filed by the petitioner/accused no. 1 under Section 483 of BNSS, 2023 is dismissed,” the district court ruled on Thursday.
Earlier, the court allowed the release of the homestay owner on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and imposed a condition that he should not leave the court’s jurisdiction. He was arrested for allegedly withholding information about the alleged sexual assault.
The homestay worker allegedly spiked the tourist’s drink and sexually assaulted her on April 12. He and the homestay owner were arrested on April 22. While the worker, who hails from Jharkhand, was charged with rape and criminal intimidation, the homestay owner was accused of protecting the accused and failing to inform the police about the crime.
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According to the Karnataka Police, the incident only came to light in the third week of April after the survivor, who was travelling solo, alerted officials at the US embassy following her departure from the homestay to Mysuru.
Based on the complaint received through the embassy, the Kodagu police registered a First Information Report (FIR) and launched an investigation. The victim subsequently provided a statement before a magistrate’s court to validate her allegations in the FIR and facilitate the prosecution of the accused.
The prime accused was a long-time employee at the homestay facility. The victim had visited the facility on a previous occasion with a friend, the police said.
The alleged incident came to light in the third week of April after the US tourist alerted officials at the US embassy after leaving the Kodagu homestay. (Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
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