US national raped by homestay staff in Karnataka’s Kodagu; two arrested

A US national has been allegedly drugged and raped by a staff member at a private homestay in the Kodagu district of Karnataka. The incident took place on April 19 in Kutta village of Ponnampet taluk of the district. The accused and the owner of the homestay have been arrested.

Worker, homestay owner arrested

The woman, a US national from Washington, had come to Kodagu on a trip and was staying at a private homestay named ‘Devi Villa’ in Kutta village. The complaint stated that a worker at the homestay, identified as Vrijesh Kumar from Jharkhand, allegedly raped her.

It further revealed that Kumar tricked the woman into drinking a spiked soft drink, after which she lost consciousness and was raped.

Confinement, an attempt to suppress a complaint

The owner of the homestay allegedly tried to prevent the victim from filing a complaint after the incident. Following the incident, the victim’s WIFI access at the homestay was allegedly cut off, and she was confined within the homestay for nearly three days. The owner is said to have attempted to pacify her or suppress the case.

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However, the woman somehow managed to escape from the homestay and contacted the US Embassy, informing them about her ordeal. The case came to light following the Embassy’s intervention.

Escape, complaint and FIR

The victim reached Mysuru, where she lodged a police complaint, following which an investigation was launched, and an FIR was lodged at Kutta Police Station.

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A similar incident was reported on March 6 last year near the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal in Sanapur village, close to the tourist site of Hampi. Police said that three accused, identified as Mallesh alias Handimalla, Sai, and Sharanappa, had intercepted a group of tourists and demanded money.

Previous case near Hampi

When the group refused, the accused allegedly assaulted them. Two women, including a tourist from Israel, were gang-raped during the incident, according to the complaint.

During the attack, three male tourists were pushed into a canal. Police said that a young man from Odisha drowned, while the other two managed to swim to safety.

(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka)