Port Blair:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands police has arrested a UK national for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman tourist from Bengaluru, officials said on Monday.

According to the police complaint lodged by the 30-year-old victim, the incident took place at a scuba diving resort at Govind Nagar (Beach No. 2) in Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Islands) on February 26.

A Zero FIR was lodged by the victim on March 6, which was subsequently shared to Swaraj Dweep police station, officials said.

Speaking to PTI, South Andaman SP Manoj Kumar Meena said, “We have arrested the foreign national. He is presently in 14-day judicial custody. Probe is on and we are awaiting medical records.” Investigation revealed that the victim had travelled to the Andamans with a friend and later visited Swaraj Dweep on vacation where they met this foreign national who was learning scuba diving.

“It seems that they were socialising in the islands and on February 26, the victim claimed that her drink was spiked and later when she regained consciousness at the resort, she found herself in a vulnerable state. She went back to her hometown and informed her parents about the incident. Based on her parents’ advice, she lodged a complaint with us,” a senior police officer said.

In the FIR, she stated that trauma and amnesia were the reasons for complaining after more than a week.

According to the FIR, the UK national was arrested under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with punishment for the crime of rape, Section 115(2) of the BNS (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and Section 351(2) of the BNS (offence of criminal intimidation). 

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