IGIA tout horror forces foreigner duo to flee India
Delhi Airport has once again become a hub for touts.
In past few months, Delhi Police has registered almost half a dozen cases of touting at the airport.
The situation is only getting worse with touts and agents harassing foreigners, including women.
In a recent such case, a taxi driver and agents harassed two foreigners who had arrived in New Delhi from Australia and New Zealand.
In past few months, Delhi Police has registered almost half a dozen cases of touting at Delhi Airport. The situation is only getting worse with touts and agents harassing foreigners, including women
According to the complaint filed by the two foreigners, the accused agents called them repeatedly and kept on visiting them at their hotel room as many as five times a day.
Feeling unsafe, the duo then decided to return to their respective countries.
Fooled by driver
The accused have been arrested and a case has been registered, according to the police.
New Zealand national Jason Reid had come to Delhi with his Australian friend in the first week of October.
After arriving at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, a taxi driver fooled them and took them to a different place instead of dropping them to the hotel where they had booked a room, according to the victim’s complaint.
“On arrival in Delhi, our taxi took us to a tourist information centre as he claimed he didn't know where our hotel was. We were then told that our hotel had given away our room.
"We were told by the tourist information centre (Incredible India) that our train tickets were not valid for tourists,” 27 year-old Jason Reid said in his complaint.
The victim said that the accused driver drove continuously for more than two hours before taking them to an official ‘Incredible India’ tourist centre, and then told the duo that the office will help them facilitate and plan their journey.
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Charged double
According to the complainant, the accused driver and agent cheated them by charging double the amount.
“He (driver) pushed us to book a tour with them. They ignored it when we specified our budget. It seemed to be the only option.
"However, we discovered that we had been charged double after we got Wi-Fi access and accounted everything ourselves.
"We then contacted the tourism ministry and the Australian Embassy and were advised not to give anything more than Rs 82,000,” said Reid.
The duo’s ordeal did not stop here. When they told the agents that they were being overcharged, they were met with harassment and threats.
“They called us at least five times a day for money.
"They would knock on our door while we tried to sleep in our room. We do not feel safe in India and feel the need to leave as soon as possible,” Reid told the police.
The victim filed a complaint before departing from terminal-3 of the IGI Airport and said that he will never come to India.
“He also said that he had planned this trip almost three months ago. They wanted to visit various cities, including Agra but were forced to terminate their journey in between and left for their respective countries,” a police officer said.
