British woman allegedly raped by man in Delhi hotel room

A man has been arrested on suspicion of raping a British woman at a hotel in Delhi, Indian police have said.

Officers have also arrested a second man who is accused of trying to silence the woman when she resisted the alleged rape and molesting her.

The woman, from London, is said to have met up with the alleged rapist, named in India as Kailash, after making friends with him online a few months ago.

The alleged victim was on holiday in the western state of Goa when the 24-year-old suspect, from Vasundhara in east Delhi, is said to have told her he was unable to travel and invited her to meet him.

The woman is then reported to have travelled around 1,200 miles to Delhi and checked into a hotel in the village of Mahipalpur on Tuesday night before arranging to meet with Kailash.

The rape suspect is said to have arrived with his friend Wasim before the three of them had dinner.

They are then reported to have headed to her hotel room.

Kailash is then accused of raping her while Wasim is alleged to have tried to silence her when she resisted.

Wasim is also accused of molesting the woman.

The alleged victim has told police Kailash struggled to speak in English and used Google Translate to communicate with her.

Both of the men have since been taken from a police station in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, to appear before a magistrate.

Police in Delhi have said: "A man was arrested on charges of rape with a British woman in a Mahipalpur hotel in Delhi. His accomplice was arrested on charges of molestation."

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting a British woman in India and are in touch with the local authorities."

It comes after an Israeli and Indian woman were allegedly raped in the town of Koppal in the southwest Indian state of Karnataka.

The women and three male friends, an American and two Indians, were stargazing when three men on a motorbike approached them and asked for money, according to police.

An altercation took place before the men who were on the bike are said to have pushed the male tourists into a canal.

The three attackers are then accused of raping the two women.

Meanwhile, one of the Indian men in the canal drowned while the other two managed to swim to safety.

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the alleged gang rape.

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India's problem with sexual violence

According to the National Crime Records Bureau in India, police recorded 31,516 rape cases in India in 2022, a 20% increase from 2021.

The real numbers could be far higher due to the stigma surrounding sexual violence and victims' lack of faith in police.

Rape and sexual violence have been under the spotlight in India since the 2012 gang-rape and brutal murder of a 23-year-old student in Delhi.

The crime shocked the nation and mass protests took place across the country against the dangers women face.

The protests forced the government to enact new laws, change old ones and make the punishment for rape more severe.

Special courts have been established to try such cases in a timely period.

Meanwhile, the age at which people could be tried for rape as an adult was lowered from 18 to 16.

In 2018, the Indian government approved the death penalty for people convicted of raping children under 12.

(c) Sky News 2025: British woman allegedly raped by man in Delhi hotel room