Danish woman gang-raped in Delhi, 2 arrested

A 51-year-old woman from Denmark was allegedly gang-raped and robbed by around seven to eight men near New Delhi railway station on Tuesday. 

 She was attacked while seeking direction to her hotel in central Delhi’s Paharganj. Two vagabonds, identified as Mahender and Raja, have been arrested after the Danish Embassy was informed and a case was filed with Paharganj police station. She refused to undergo medical examination and returned to Denmark on Wednesday morning.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal condemned the incident and said he has spoken to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung. He would discuss the issue with Delhi Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi. “To prevent rapes, an analysis needs to be done of all incidents, whether these are locality or venue-specific, person-specific or situation-specific,” he said. He would also meet Chief Justice of Delhi High Court N V Ramana to request more fast-track courts. 

According to the police, the woman was a tourist guide in Denmark and travelling alone on a tourist visa. She came to India on January 1 and arrived in the capital from Agra on Monday morning. She was staying at the Hotel Amax Inn at Paharganj. On Tuesday, she went to visit National Museum near India Gate and was returning to the hotel when she lost her way near Connaught Place around 4:30 pm.

“She was walking and asked two men for direction to her hotel. Five to six more men then appeared and took her to a secluded area near the New Delhi railway station,” a senior police officer said. She was raped in a ground behind the Railway Officers Club on State Entry Road. 

The woman alleged that the perpetrators held her hostage from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm. They allegedly threatened her with a knife. The men also took away Rs 3,000, 750 euros, a mobile phone and an Apple iPad. She took an autorickshaw to her hotel around 8 pm and informed the manager there, who in turn approached the police.

She gave a statement to the police in the presence of Danish Embassy authorities at 6:30 am on Wednesday. 

A case under Section 376 (gang-rape), 394 (robbery), 397 (robbery with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code has been filed.
 Late on Wednesday, the police also recovered an Apple iPod, ear plug, a spectacle case, Rs 1,800 cash and a Nokia phone worth Rs 1,200, which was purchased with the robbed cash.

The victim refused to undergo medical examination. Legal experts said the absence of a medical report confirming sexual assault was unlikely to weaken the case. It was also learnt that the victim's statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure was recorded before a magistrate to strengthen the case.