Woman held hostage, sexually assaulted

Police arrested a person on Tuesday after a woman accused him of holding her hostage in a building in a central area of Lucknow and sexually assaulting her. The incident allegedly took place in a building in Wazir Hasan Road of Hazratganj.

The victim claimed when she protested the sexual assault, she was also beaten up by the accused.

The woman was taken to a hospital for medical examination and treatment. Lucknow police said a case has been registered and the accused person arrested.

According to the victim, on Monday night as she was out to purchase items for puja from a local market, the accused approached her and offered to give her a lift. But instead of dropping her home, he took her to an empty apartment after allegedly sedating her cold drink and attempted to rape her.

"He threatened to murder me after keeping me hostage for seven days. When he got drunk and fell asleep, I managed toescape. He had stolen all my cash and mobile," the victim told a news channel.

She received help from police after dialling 100. The accused is the driver of a junior engineer of the irrigation department.