NRI girl molested at 5-star hotel spa

A 21-year-old non-resident Indian girl based in the United States was molested in a spa while getting a head massage at a five-star hotel at Vasant Vihar in south Delhi, police said on Thursday.

The victim, who was staying at Jaypee Vasant Continental from January 12 to 14, went to the spa of the hotel on January 13 along with her mother to receive a head massage.

“Although there were five chairs available in the room where my mother was getting a massage, I was instead taken to a separate enclosure. I was suffering from exhaustion and terrible headache. I believe the therapist pressed certain nerves, so that I would go to sleep. I woke up to find this salon employee, Sanjay, molesting me,” said the victim.

She immediately asked him to stop and thereafter reported the incident to the hotel management. She claimed that the reactions of the lobby manager, Amit and the general manager of the hotel, Anil Mohan were “unsatisfactory”.

“We only saw Anil Mohan after waiting for three hours. He finally came to meet us, as if he was doing us a favour. He showed no real genuine concern and offered no further solutions or actions to be taken,” the victim said.

Masseur fired

“They fired the masseur, which was an appropriate action. But they also said that I should have taken precautions. I did not see any concern on their part. Instead they pinned the blame on the spa, claiming it to be an outsourced company. If a woman in Delhi is not safe in a five-star hotel with her parents, what will happen to a woman by herself on the streets?” she wondered.

With her friends and family by her side, who consoled and supported her, she mustered the courage to inform the police about the incident.

“I first reported the incident to the Women and Child Development Minister Kiran Walia, since I am acquainted with her through one of my friends. With her support I went to the Vasant Vihar police station on January 16 and informed the SHO about the incident. I received a good response from them and they immediately registered my complaint,” the victim told Deccan Herald over the phone.

The police then arrested Sanjay.

“We questioned him and he disclosed to us that he was merely massaging her head and shoulders, which he does with most of the customers. He further added that the woman believed that she was being molested and immediately asked him to stop,” said a senior police officer.

The officer said that matter will be presented before the court.

The victim has left for the US, where she is studying. “I hope that if stringent action is taken in response to crimes against women, it would act like a deterrent against such men to not perform such shameful acts,” she said.