KASARGOD: Three Germans touring India since January were assaulted and robbed by a gang at Manjeshwaram on Friday. Police said the incident could be a case of moral policing which turned to assault and theft.The Germans - two men and a woman, all in their early 20s - were on their way to Goa from Kerala. Thursday night, they pitched their tent near the Excise Checkpost at Vamanchur, the border of Kerala and Karnataka, said police.
One person slept in the tent, and the other man and the woman slept in their Omni van.
Around 5 am on Friday, a gang of six persons woke up the couple sleeping in the van and wanted to know if they were married, said assistant superintendent of police Shilpa Devaiah. “When they wanted to see the inside of the car, the tourists resisted and there was a scuffle,” she said.
The gang overpowered them and assaulted the two tourists. “The three tourists then jumped into the car and sped away to escape the goons,” she said.The tourists pulled up when they saw the Highway Police team at a distance, and returned with them to Vamanchur. When they returned they found that their bag left behind in the tent was missing.
Devaiah said the bag had two mobile phones, one wallet, two credit cards, one ID card and ` 8,000 in cash. “We have identified the culprits and will make the arrest soon,” she said.
The tourists rented the car from Delhi and were touring Goa and Kerala.