In a shocking incident, a 25-year-old German tourist was sexually assaulted by a local driver after he offered her and her male friend a ride in Pahadishareef on the night of Monday, March 31. The accused, identified as Mohammed Abdul Aslam (25), a resident of Yakutpura, was arrested within 12 hours of the crime and has been remanded in judicial custody.
According to police reports, the accused, who was previously employed as a driver in Dubai but had been unemployed for a year, approached the German nationals while they were visiting a local vegetable market. Aslam, accompanied by five minor boys from his neighbourhood and traveling in a Swift Dzire car, struck up a conversation with the tourists and offered them a ride to explore the city.
The unsuspecting tourists accepted his offer. During the ride, the accused and the minors took them around Hyderabad’s Old City, stopping at various locations to click pictures, eat food, and enjoy beverages and paan. Eventually, Aslam dropped off the minors and the woman's friend at a distance before taking the survivor to an isolated spot under the pretext of taking more photos and videos. He then sexually assaulted her.
Following the assault, the accused threatened the survivor before driving her back to the location where he had earlier dropped off her friend. As soon as she got out of the car, Aslam sped away, leaving both the survivor and her friend stranded. The minors who were with them earlier had already fled the scene, Times of India reported.
The distressed tourists immediately contacted a local friend, who helped them file a complaint at the Pahadishareef police station. Based on photographs of the accused found on the survivor’s mobile phone and other evidence, police swiftly identified and arrested Aslam near his residence.
“The accused is a driver by profession but not a cab driver. He has no prior criminal record in the Rachakonda police limits. His arrest is currently being recorded,” a police officer told The Indian Express.
Maheshwaram Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) D Sunitha Reddy confirmed the sequence of events and told The Hindu, “After taking the tourists around the city and dropping everyone else, including the survivor’s friend, the accused took her to a secluded area and sexually assaulted her.”
The survivor’s statement has been recorded, and she has been sent for medical examination and counselling. Authorities are also investigating whether the minors present during the initial part of the drive had any involvement in the crime.
The two German nationals had arrived in Hyderabad in early March and were staying in Meerpet. They had traveled across various Indian cities and were scheduled to fly back to Germany on April 3.