IANS
Agra, Sep 24: Two people have been arrested for raping two Japanese tourists and holding them hostage for three days in this city of the Taj, police officials here said on Monday.
While the two men, in their 20s, were taken into custody, police were on the lookout for the third accused, said Superintendent (city) Prem Narayan.
"We can't let them get away. It has high international ramifications," he added.
However, police are yet to officially announce the arrests in the case that has further tarnished the image of this prime tourist destination.
The two women, who lodged a complaint at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) police station on Saturday night after managing to flee from their captors in Agra, said they had been befriended by three men who have been identified as Sunny, Rajan Singh and Alif.
The trio invited them to a secluded place, where they were held hostage for three days Saturday and repeatedly raped, said a Delhi Police officer.
While the women have flown back home, police here have been scrambling for leads.
This is the fourth incident involving Japanese tourists in the last one year.
In September 2006, a Japanese student was abducted and there is still no trace of him. His mother has visited Agra to pressure the police to search for him but to no avail.
Another Japanese tourist was reported missing three months after the Kota disappearance, but was found drunk after 36 hours.
And last month, one Japanese tourist became the victim of poisoning.
Tourism industry sources in Agra said the Japanese tourists were victims of a gang of 'lapkas' (illegal guides without any permission or certificate). A few of these lapkas had even married Japanese girls.
"They are fluent in Japanese, that helps them to build an instant rapport," said a hotelier in Taj Ganj area.
"This kind of lawlessness should not be allowed in this sensitive industry," said an official of the Hotels and Restaurant Association.