Hotel owner arrested after tourist jumped from balcony
A British tourist who was injured after jumping from a hotel balcony in the historic Indian city of Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, claims she was escaping from the owner and a security guard who tried to break into her room.
The woman, a 32-year-old dentist from Greenwich, told police she had asked for a wake-up call at 04:00 but said instead the hotel owner had knocked on her door and offered her a massage, said the BBC.
When she refused to let him in he allegedly returned with another man and tried to use a key to open the door. In a statement, seen by the Daily Telegraph, she said she screamed for an hour for them to go away but eventually she jumped from her balcony to the level below, fracturing both her legs and sustaining head injuries, before escaping in a rickshaw.
Police have arrested the owner and the security guard of the Agra Mahal Hotel.
A spokesman for the British High Commission in India said UK consular officials in Delhi have spoken to the woman and to the local police.
A consular team is travelling to Agra to provide assistance to the woman who is still in hospital under police guard.
The Foreign Office recently updated its advice for women visiting India, saying they should use caution and avoid travelling alone on public transport, or in taxis or auto-rickshaws, especially at night.
It added that reported cases of sexual assault against women and young girls were increasing and recent sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas and cities show that foreign women were also at risk.
Following an alleged gang rape of a Swiss tourist in Madhya Pradesh state last week, police have arrested six people.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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