Kodagu Court Rejects Bail Plea of Resort Worker Accused of Sexually Assaulting American Tourist

A view of the Kodagu District Court in Madikeri, Kodagu district. Photo: Special Arrangement

Madikeri: A district court in Kodagu has rejected the bail plea of a 25-year-old resort worker accused of sexually assaulting an American tourist at a homestay facility in Kodagu district earlier this year.

In its order issued on Thursday, the court dismissed the petition filed by the accused seeking bail under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. “The petition filed by the petitioner/accused No. 1 under Section 483 of BNSS, 2023 is dismissed,” the court said, according to a report in The Indian Express.

The accused, a native of Jharkhand, has been charged with rape and criminal intimidation. According to the police, he allegedly spiked the tourist’s drink and sexually assaulted her at a homestay in Kodagu on April 12.

The case came to light only in the third week of April after the survivor, who was travelling alone in India, contacted officials at the United States embassy after leaving the homestay and reaching Mysuru. Based on the complaint received through the embassy, Kodagu police registered a First Information Report (FIR) and launched an investigation.

Police said the victim later recorded her statement before a magistrate, corroborating the allegations made in the FIR and enabling further legal proceedings against the accused.

The resort worker and the homestay owner were arrested on April 22. While the worker was booked for the alleged sexual assault, the homestay owner was accused of withholding information about the incident and failing to alert the police.

The district court had earlier granted bail to the homestay owner on May 2. He was released on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh with a condition that he should not leave the court’s jurisdiction without permission.

Investigators said the prime accused had been employed at the homestay for several years. The victim had reportedly visited the property on an earlier occasion along with a friend.

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