New Delhi is notorious for crimes against women (Representational photo)
Highlights
- Autorickshaw driver told woman area she wanted to go was inaccessible
- She was also told her hotel booking was cancelled due to alleged protests
- She learned from her friend that she was being duped, and flew back
A Belgian tourist's visit to India in the month of December last year proved to be such an ordeal that she had to fly back within 24 hours of landing in the country.
The Belgian woman described her harrowing experience in a letter to the Belgian Embassy, which in turn wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs.
Reports outline the harrowing sequence of events the Belgain national had to face in less than 24 hours that she spent in the country.
The first of the men she was reportedly cheated by was an autorickshaw driver that she hired from the New Delhi Railway Station. The driver took her to his aides, who posed as policemen and told the woman her destination was inaccessible due to an ongoing violent protest. She was also shown videos of the said protest and was made to believe it was live. She was asked to leave New Delhi and also lose her jewellery.
The men also reportedly conned her into believing her hotel room booking was cancelled. The men tried to sell several expensive hotel rooms to her, before she settled for one and paid $40 in cash. She was taken to a room with no windows, where she locked herself up, reports The Hindu.
It was only after her SIM card was activated and she was able to contact a friend in Rishikesh that she learnt the men have been duping her. A hotel staffer then came to her rescue and the woman took the next flight back to Belgium the next day, The Hindu reported.
The Delhi Police which has now arrested a 30-year-old travel agent.
"He is being interrogated to identify and find out the whereabouts of two others who brought the Belgian national to his shop in an autorickshaw," Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said.
He, along with his brother, interacted with the Belgian national and cheated her by selling a cheap hotel package and made her believe that her original booking was cancelled because of protests near the hotel, the officer said.
New Delhi is notorious for crimes against women and has earned itself a reputation for being unsafe for female travellers.