Thiruvananthapuram: An overseas tourist staying at a resort here had a narrow escape from a gang which tried to rape her under the cover of darkness on a desolate stretch near the seashore. The timely intervention by a brave resort employee foiled their designs.
A five-member gang tried to sexually assault the woman from the United Kingdom while she was heading to the beach from a private resort in the Chowara-Adimalathura area of Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram district. The resort chef who happened to pass by the spot was also beaten up as he tried to stop the assault bid.
The Vizhinjam police have filed a case against the gang, which includes a local taxi driver. The UK woman has not directly filed a complaint with the police.
The case was filed against two identified as Antony and Johnson as well as against unidentified members of the gang based on a complaint by the resort authorities. The accused are absconding.
The woman has given a complaint to the resort authorities over the incident that happened around 10pm on January 31.
"Ever since I called the driver to take my father to the airport, the gang has been harassing me by constantly sending messages to my phone, asking me to stay with them and go on a tour," states her complaint.
The chef filed a complaint with the Vizhinjam police on the evening of February 1, while the resort manager lodged a separate complaint with the police on the afternoon of February 2.
The taxi driver and the four others followed the woman as she was heading to the beach through a path in front of the resort, and tried to assault her at a dark stretch of the path, according to the complaint.
The chef Raja Sheik, who was on his way back after his duty, tried to rescue the woman. Then the gang hit him on the face and tried to kick and push him into a pit. They also seized his mobile phone, the key of his vehicle, and threatened to kill him if he spoke out about the incident, the complaint stated. Amid this, the overseas woman ran back into the resort and escaped.
A team, including women cops, has recorded the statements of the woman with the help of an interpreter, the police stated.