Men held for raping Japanese innocent, says family

Patna, Jan 5 (IANS) The family of two brothers arrested for the rape of a 22-year-old Japanese tourist in Bihar say they are innocent.

A joint police team of West Bengal and Bihar raided Taro village in Gaya and arrested Sajid Khan, 32, and Jawed Khan, 25. Both were taken to Kolkata on transit remand.

"My sons were not at all involved in the rape (last month). They are innocent," Salima Khatoon, their mother, told the media here.

Jawed's wife Rahnuma Khanam added that the Japanese was neither raped nor exploited at their house.

"A Japanese tourist stayed at our house to study life in rural area. But the allegations against my husband are baseless," she said.

Rahnuma said her entire family treated the Japanese tourist as their guest. "I saw her like my sister."

Salima blamed the West Bengal Police for framing her husband and his brother.

She said she had given Rs.10,000 to the Japanese to visit Varanasi to see Buddhist sites as the tourist was "running short of money".

According to a complaint lodged by the Japanese tourist in Kolkata, she was duped of Rs.76,000 for sightseeing at Digha - a seaside resort city in East Midnapore district. A gang then raped her in Taro village, about 45 km from Bodh Gaya in Bihar.

The Japanese consulate filed a complaint with the Kolkata police about the alleged gang rape.