Two Dutch women :-(

Two Dutch women who arrived in India in January have alleged that two men — one, a Kashmiri businessman — raped them for more than 45 days in three cities. They also allege that the accused forcibly took away their passports and money and confined them illegally on pain of "punishment".

The New Delhi district police arrested one of the accused — shawl merchant Yasir Altaf (23) — who owns shops in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh — from his home in Jangpura in southeast Delhi. The arrest on Friday night came after one of the victims lodged a case at Connaught Place police station. The other accused — Omar Baktoo (25) — is on the run.

Police said that the tourists were on a world tour and "checked in at a Paharganj hotel" on their arrival on January 5. They went to Connaught Place to get sim cards and met Yasir and Omar posing as tourist guides.

The police arrested Yasir Altaf, one of the two accused of raping two Dutch women for over 45 days, the other — Omar Baktoo — is on the run.

According to the police, the four went to Srinagar on January 8. "The two men had travelled across the world and had a way with women. They took them to a house belonging to Omar," said Dash.

It was when they were in Gulmarg that one of the women claimed to have realized that they had been cheated and the tour was eating into their financial resources. However, when she protested and asked for a refund, the accused forced them to hand over their passports and other valuables. "Yasir forced the main complainant to sleep with him for over four days after he threatened to get her implicated in terrorism charges. Omar raped the other woman," said Dash.

The ordeal of these women, they claim, did not end after they returned to Delhi on January 25 and stayed at a hotel in Karol Bagh. This time the physical abuse continued for six consecutive days. The accused also took away over Rs 1 lakh in cash from them during this time. On February 4, one of the victims found that another 200 euros was missing from her bag.

The police said the accused also took the victims to Jaipur and Ranthambore, keeping them virtually in confinement. It was only towards the end of February that their passports were returned and they then proceeded towards eastern India and Bangladesh.

"It was while returning to their country that the women told some Indian friends and acquaintances about their experience. Shocked, they advised the women to approach Delhi Police," added Dash.

The police produced one of the accused, Altaf, in a local court on Saturday and he was sent to 14 days in judicial custody. The police said Yasir stays in Jangpura with his Moroccan wife. Speaking to TOI, the accused claimed he was innocent. "I am being framed," he said.