Manali:
The police investigating the gang-rape of a US tourist allegedly by a group of truckers in Manali say they have identified the type of vehicle used in the attack and collected forensic evidence.
The 30-year-old American hitched a lift in the truck Monday night in Manali, a popular tourist destination in Himachal Pradesh 500 kms from Delhi, after struggling to find a taxi to return to her hotel.
The driver and two accomplices then abducted her and took her to a secluded spot where they raped her for over an hour, she told police.
"She is recovering fast and helping us move forward with the investigation. She has given us details of how the men looked, what they were wearing, which will help us," senior police officer V.K. Dhawan told news agency AFP.
The woman is staying at a local hotel under police protection; she is expected to meet US embassy officials later today.
"She has identified the truck type. It is typically used to transport construction materials so we are checking construction sites to see which trucks were in use at that time," Mr Dhawan said.
Police also have forensic evidence and have identified tyre marks from the site where the attack occurred, the officer said.
The incident follows the alleged rape of a 21-year-old Irish charity worker in the eastern city of Kolkata over the weekend.
Sexual violence against women has been a simmering national debate since December's fatal gang-rape of a student on a moving bus in Delhi.
A survey by trade body The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) found the number of female tourists visiting the country had dropped by 35 percent following several sex attacks that made global headlines.