German tourist raped in Jodhpur; two held

The woman in her early 20s was abducted by the men from Jodhpur when she hired their taxi to get back to the hotel she was staying in.

Two taxi drivers have been arrested in Rajasthan for allegedly raping a German tourist, police said on Thursday.

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The woman in her early 20s was kidnapped by two men from Jodhpur when she hired their taxi to take her back to her hotel, district police chief Ravi Prakash Meherda said.

Police said it was the first reported attack in recent years against a foreign tourist in Rajasthan, a haven for visitors who flock here in tens of thousands each year for its magnificent medieval forts and camel rides.

The woman "arrived in Jodhpur on Wednesday evening and went for a stroll. At around 9:30 pm she hired a taxi to take her back to the hotel," Meherda said.

"The two men in the car took her to an isolated area ... and raped her."

He said villagers heard the woman's screams and pelted stones at the vehicle and the men ran away. She was taken to a local hospital.

Police said they arrested two men aged in their 30s soon afterwards.

Police arrested the two men under a section of the penal code carrying a maximum 14-year prison term.

According to latest government figures, there were 16,373 rapes in India in 2002, although women's rights groups say many more go unreported due to the stigma attached to the crime.