British tourist sexually harassed in Kerala's Varkala, dress torn, video helps police arrest man

A British woman tourist was allegedly sexually harassed and had her dress torn by a man while returning to her room in Kerala’s Varkala around 1.30 am on Monday, police said.

The accused, identified as Shahad, a resident of Odayam in Varkala, allegedly approached the woman as she was returning to her room after going out for food, and misbehaved with her before tearing her dress, police said, news agency PTI reported.

The woman took refuge with a group of tourists, who intervened and stopped the accused. She approached the police on Monday morning, following which a case was registered. Police identified and arrested Shahad with the help of a video recorded by the woman.

The accused is expected to be produced before a court on Tuesday for remand. Further investigation is underway, police said.

Meanwhile, in a separate case, a solo traveller currently hitchhiking across India shared an Instagram update about how her initial fears were dispelled by the kindness she encountered during her travels.

Despite being warned about safety risks before arriving, the 24-year-old Portuguese creator, Ana, said that she experienced overwhelming helpfulness from people everywhere she went.

“Before landing in India, everyone warned me about harassment, robbery, and stares. I was genuinely a bit afraid of going there and completely avoided hitchhiking for my entire first month in the country,” Ana wrote on Instagram.

“But as time went by, the reality turned out to be completely different: Everywhere I went, I kept meeting the kindest, funniest, and most helpful people. From strangers on the street randomly spending two hours helping me fix a phone issue, to making lifelong friends—the men I met completely changed my perspective,” she added.