A woman of US nationality was allegedly sexually assaulted by a staffer of a homestay in Karnataka’s Kodagu district.
The incident occurred a week ago at Kutta village.
The staffer, who hails from Jharkhand, and the owner of the homestay were arrested on Wednesday.
The woman told Kodagu police that her drink was spiked and she was sexually assaulted at the homestay. Later, when she approached the homestay owner about the assault, he allegedly attempted to suppress it and disconnected the WiFi services for three days, preventing her from contacting anyone.
She left the premises under the pretext of travelling to Mysuru and approached US embassy officials, who then facilitated communication with local authorities.
“The police arrested the homestay owner and his staff member from Jharkhand who doubles as a cook and caretaker. A sexual assault case has been slapped on the two,” superintendent of police R.K. Bindu Mani said. The SP said both the accused had been sent to judicial custody and a probe was underway.
State home minister G. Parameshwara said people running homestays must have proper licences. “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 told reporters here.
The minister said such incidents sent a poor message about the state or society.
“Especially when outsiders or foreigners are involved, what kind of message goes out about our society and our country?” he asked.
Karnataka’s minister for minor irrigation, science and technology, N.S. Boseraju, who is also the minister in charge of Kodagu district, urged police officers to conduct a prompt and comprehensive investigation into the alleged assault.