Guide held for raping tourist

Police arrested the suspect within 48 hours of the incident from Entally area. He is being interrogated along with hotel staff. Preliminary inquiry revealed that the alleged culprit had a past record of fleecing Japanese tourists.

DCP South Anuj Sharma said that the victim, from Siamata, Japan, had arrived in Kolkata on July 5 and was looking for accommodation in Sudder Street, which hosts hundreds of budget tourists. A Japanese-speaking youth approached her to guide to a ‘‘reasonably good and not too costly’’ Heera Holiday Inn on Elgin Road.

The youth who escorted her reportedly promised to take her around Kolkata and also booked a room next to her. On July 16, the youth visited the Japanese woman’s room and offered beer. After she became tipsy, the youth raped her, the complaint stated. He later fled with the money. It could be gathered from police sources that the Japanese tourist took a day to contact the Japanese Consulate in Kolkata and narrate her complaint. She was later escorted by consulate officials to file the FIR.

The victim, a student of Economics in Tokyo, had arrived in Delhi on June 28 and from there went to Bodhgaya before reaching the city on July 5. Hotel owner R.K. Malhotra said his staff and manager did not notice anything unusual before July 16, when she checked out of the hotel to meet consulate officials. Hotel employees said that Iqbal was seen entering her room freely, at times even with friends.

DCP Sharma said that after hearing the case, the police began looking for a youth who had fleeced a Japanese woman in September 2003. Iqbal’s advantage was his slight knowledge of Japanese that often endeared him to tourists from Japan. ‘‘He had an expertise in picking up Japanese women,’’ said an inspector, adding other guides had complained about Iqbal.