Spanish woman, son beaten to death in HP

Director General of Police A.K.Puri told reporters here today that the woman and her son, along with her boyfriend Young, were trekking through the area and had camped at Tundaghosh village where they were attacked with lathis by locals. They were then thrown into a gorge, but Young, whom the attackers had presumed to be dead, survived. He is in a critical state.

Puri said the apparent motive was looting though the drug angle was being checked. He said a senior executive of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) contacted the Superintendent of Police, Kullu,Anurag Garg, over satellite phone from the site to inform him about the incident. He had reported that the assailants had taken away an amount of Rs 18,000 in cash, travellers cheques worth $ 100, passports and a camera.

A police team, led by the Kullu SP and including some policemen and medicalpersonnel, had left for the site. Since the site of the crime is about eight hours by foot from Manikaran, the team has not reported back yet. An alert has been sounded in Himachal and the neighbouring states.

The DGP said these tourists had neither any guide nor porter with themalthough the police had given clear instructions that trekkers, particularly foreigners, were not to travel alone.

In New Delhi, Spain’s Ambassador Alberto Escudero said the news that they had received was “confusing” and that the embassy was in touch with the Kullu police to try to ascertain the identity of their two nationals. If the need arose, an official of the embassy would go to Kullu, he said.

The British High Commission refused to comment saying it was too early to say anything, but an agency report quoted Gerry McCrudden of the High Commission as confirming that the Briton, Young, was seriously injured.

In the past six years, over two dozen foreigners have mysteriously disappeared in Kullu and Manikaran valleys and the Crime Branch of the state CID has failed to trace them.