Chandigarh court holds masseur guilty of British woman’s rape

The woman, who had come to the hotel with her male friend, alleged that the accused touched her inappropriately while giving her foot massage. When she objected, he told her that he was checking pressure points. Later, the woman alleged he had sexually assaulted her.

A local court in Chandigarh convicted a former employee of a five-star hotel for raping a 56-year-old British woman.

Swati Sehgal, special judge, fast track court, Chandigarh, held the masseur guilty of British woman’s rape on Friday and is likely to pronounce the quantum of sentence on July 25. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The crime took place on December 20, 2018, at a hotel in IT Park. The convict, Farhanuz Zama, 31, a resident of Bijnor, Uttar Pardesh, worked as a masseur. Swati Sehgal, special judge, fast track court, Chandigarh, held him guilty on Friday and is likely to pronounce the quantum of sentence on July 25.

The woman, who had come to the hotel with her male friend, alleged that the accused touched her inappropriately while giving her foot massage. When she objected, he told her that he was checking pressure points. Later, the woman alleged he had sexually assaulted her.

She gave a complaint to the hotel staff who assured her that appropriate action will be taken, following which she left for Shimla with her partner. On returning from Shimla, she got to know that no police case had been registered by the hotel staff, following which she filed a police complaint with IT park police station on December 25, 2018. A case under Section 376 (rape) was registered against the employee.

The woman joined the case via video conferencing from the UK.