British couple, Matthew and Jessie Kidd, were allegedly attacked just outside Bihar’s capital, Patna. They were travelling from Haridwar to Kolkata via road when they made a pitstop at Pundarak, 79 kms from Patna. Two men approached the couple and allegedly tried to molest, rob and ultimately beat them up. They have already been apprehended and arrested by the police. Patna’s Senior Superintendent of Police, Manu Maharaj said that the “accused were traced and arrested from near the banks of the Ganges last night.”
#Bihar: 2 men arrested for alleged misbehavior& loot attempt with a British couple in Pandarak while they were camping on river Ganga’s bank pic.twitter.com/mTdNKbcLIb
— ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2017
In the last few weeks, this is the third incident of a foreigner being attacked while travelling in India.
On November 5, Holger Ereek, a German national planning on visiting Agori Fort in Uttar Pradesh was allegedly beaten up by a railway contractor at Sonbhadra station. The accused has alleged that he was provoked into attacking after the German spit on him and punched him for saying ‘welcome to India’. As per reports, UP’s senior police personnel Anand Kumar said that Ereek suffers from “anger management issues, depression or some aberration”.
I am innocent, the German national punched me when i said ‘welcome to India’ to him. He even spit on me: Aman Yadav,arrested accused pic.twitter.com/PrcO2gudIw
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 5, 2017
He is quoted as saying: “According to reports, the railway supervisor enquired the German national about his well-being, which angered him. The German hit the railway employee, who might have pushed him in retaliation.”
On October 26, a Swiss couple visiting Fatehpur Sikri, in the outskirts of Agra, were attacked by five people. Quentin Jeremy Clerc and Marie Droz were brutally assaulted with stones and lathis. Droz suffers hearing impairment and a broken arm. Out of the five accused, three are underage boys – all of them have been arrested.
Agra: Swiss couple attacked by unknown people in Fatehpur Sikri. Police probe underway. EAM has sought report of the incident from UP Govt. pic.twitter.com/bVIuPvTOF8
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 26, 2017
Fatehpur Sikri Swiss couple attack: We met the couple,they are doing fine.They are happy with the hospital and the treatment- MEA officials
— ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2017
After Sushma Swaraj, the External Affair Minister wrote to CM Yogi Adityanath regarding the security issue, 50 ‘lapkas’ (people who earn a living by targeting tourists) were arrested for harassment.
