Russian alleges gang rape, then backtracks

A major drama took place in north Delhi when a Russian woman alleged being gang-raped by five men and then retracted her statement after being asked by the police to undergo a medical test. Civil Lines police said that the woman, a native of Moscow, said that she was going to her rented accommodation in Majnu Ka Tilla on Saturday night with her partner when the five men raped her at a secluded place. However, by Sunday afternoon, after a five-hour long counseling session, she decided not to pursue the case. The woman approached the cops on Sunday morning and even alleged that when her partner tried to save her, he was thrashed by the accused. As the case involved a foreign national, the joint commissioner of police and DCP of the area reached there. When cops asked her to undergo a medical examination to determine rape, she refused. In fact, she tried to flee from the police station and had to be stopped by women constables. Police officers said that they were having difficulty in communicating with her as she spoke no English. Russian language experts, Shiv Kumar of Delhi University and Shubhra Mehndiratta of Delhi Commission for Women, were then roped in to talk to her. After a five-hour session, the woman decided not to file a complaint, after which she was let go. "We have informed the Russian embassy regarding the complaint and even her refusal to undergo a medical test. We have taken her contact details and ever given her numbers to call us whenever she wants. The woman had come to Delhi on a tourist visa on February 28, while her partner landed in Delhi 15 days later," said a senior police officer.