Japanese tourist claims she was raped

A Japanese tourist in Kolkata lodged a complaint with the local police yesterday saying that she was raped in her hotel room by a youth who pretended to be a tour guide.

The man also stole $300 from her, said the tourist from Siamata in Japan who had arrived in India on June 28.

The incident comes close on the heels of the arrest of Maninder Singh Kohli – the alleged rapist and killer of a British teenage girl – from a hideout in West Bengal.

The incident is an embarrassment for the state government as the Japanese form a major part of foreign tourist traffic to the city. The country is also known for its huge industrial investments in the state – a Rs40,000 million investment being one in a chemical unit in the state recently.

A large section of the tourists to Kolkata are bound for the Buddhist temple at Bodhgaya in Bihar. In recent years there is also a noticeable interest among Japanese tourists to visit Mother Teresa's home at the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata.

A man named Shaheed Iqbal was arrested after police went through past crime records and shortlisted the ones who had fleeced other Japanese tourists in the city in the past.

According to the complaint of the victim, 21, the youth picked up an acquaintance with the woman when she arrived in Kolkata on July 5 and was looking for a suitable hotel in the central part of the city.

The youth, who spoke a little Japanese, offered help and guided her to a hotel. He also booked a room next to her's and offered to take her around.

On July 16, Iqbal allegedly offered her drinks and then raped her in the room. The Japanese tourist also found $300 missing after the attack.