NEW DELHI, March 13: "India is not a bad country after all and the rule of law does prevail,'' said Monica Traczic, the American student from Boston who was coerced by a group of touts into travelling to Jaipur and Agra on her arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on January 29.The touts scared her by saying that New Delhi was rocked by bomb blasts and that it was quite unsafe to stay here. ``It was only after the story appeared in The Indian Express (Delhi edition) that the police got moving, and arrested the three main culprits,'' she said. Traczic had come to India to work with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, but her experience at the hands of touts left her bitter and shattered. After spending four days in their custody and being duped of her money, she managed to escape. ``I was so disgusted and upset that I went to the airport and wanted to get back home. I thought India was a horrible place.'' Some of her friends prevailed upon her to stay. ``I went and spent three weeks inCalcutta at Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, but I had lost hope and thought no action would be taken,'' she said.
Initially, she said, the police were not very helpful but after the story appeared things moved fast. ``It was a pleasant surprise. The moment I got back and contacted the police, it was a different reaction altogether. Based on the newspaper report and my complaint, they raided the premises and arrested the touts and their accomplices,'' she said.
She was scheduled to leave on the night of March 10 but police officials requested her to extend her stay by a day. ``I was surprised at the change in their attitude. They sent a police inspector the same evening to record my statement. The following day, I identified the three persons,'' she added.
She then recorded her statement in front of a magistrate on March 11. ``The magistrate had read the story and was aware of my case. He asked me to identify them and I did. I had lost hope as everyone told me that nothing would happen,'' shesaid. ``I must say that the press really seems to wield a lot of influence here. Even police officials admitted that their seniors asked them to do something urgently after the story appeared.''
According to her, the Indian authorities should help foreign tourists visiting the country. ``Most of us don't know much about the system here, maybe they can keep a small booklet at the immigration or customs with instructions for tourists,'' she suggested.
``They need to make sure that pre-paid taxi drivers are trained properly. Often tourists don't know anything about the city. But I can say with confidence that I'll again visit India, but not alone!''
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
