Tourists complain of sexual assault at Varkala

Lack of surveillance system blamed for incidents

Three tourists, including two foreigners, complained to the Varkala police on Thursday that they faced sexual-harassment attempts during their stay at the destination. The alleged incidents have come as a blow to the government as it geared up to reopen the tourist destinations after months. It also highlighted the lack of lighting facilities as well as surveillance systems in tourist destinations. The foreigners, who hail from France and the United Kingdom, claimed an unidentified person misbehaved with them as they were walking on the Thiruvambady beach around 8 p.m. on Monday. The offender flashed at the tourists and began to chase them. “We began to run as he chased us. We were scared as there was no one in the area. He finally ran away after seeing two other men some distance away,” one of the victims said.