Hotel horror: 3 held over alleged abduction bid in Delhi
Three men have been arrested for allegedly trying to force a woman from Nagaland into their Mercedes car outside a five-star hotel in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area, and assaulting her friends with hockey sticks and iron rods when they intervened, police said on Tuesday. The incident occurred around 3:30 am on Sunday in the hotel’s parking area.
According to the complaint, the woman had gone to the hotel with a friend. As the two were returning from the washroom, the three accused, travelling in a white Mercedes, allegedly approached and tried to stop the woman and pull her into their vehicle.
Her friends, identified as Ayush, Udbhav and Samarth, intervened after noticing what police described as the accused’s objectionable conduct. The accused allegedly attacked the three men with hockey sticks and iron rods. Ayush sustained injuries to his teeth, while Udbhav and Samarth were also beaten, police said.
Police reached the spot soon after, by which time the accused had fled in their car. The complainant had noted down the vehicle’s registration number, which helped investigators trace the three men, identified as Divyanshu, Gaurav and Mohit.
Police registered a case against the accused at Chanakyapuri police station. The woman was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for a medical examination, and police said the case was registered based on her complaint and the medical report.
Investigators are examining CCTV footage from the hotel and assessing medical reports of those injured to establish the sequence of events and the extent of injuries. During questioning, the accused denied some of the allegations, police said, and investigators are weighing the available evidence, including CCTV footage, medical findings, and statements from those involved, before deciding on further action.
Police have not yet disclosed the specific sections under which the accused have been charged, nor the current custodial status of the three men beyond confirming their arrest.
The case has drawn attention because the complainant is a woman from India’s northeast. This community has repeatedly reported incidents of harassment and racial profiling while living or visiting Delhi. Civil society groups and northeastern students’ bodies in the capital have in the past flagged a pattern of such complaints. However, police in this case have not cited any racial motive and have confined their account to an alleged attempt at forced abduction followed by an assault on bystanders who intervened.
Chanakyapuri, home to several five-star hotels and diplomatic missions, falls under one of Delhi’s more heavily policed districts, and the presence of CCTV coverage at the hotel is expected to be central to investigators’ efforts to corroborate the complainant’s account against the accused’s denials.
The case remains under investigation, with police saying further legal action will depend on the findings from the CCTV review, medical assessments and recorded statements of the complainant, her friends and the accused.
