Kodagu homestay licence cancelled; police to seek custody of 2 accused

Mysuru/Madikeri: Days after the alleged rape of a US tourist on April 12, the district administration has cancelled the licence of the homestay at Kutta on the Karnataka–Kerala border where the incident is said to have taken place.

Deputy commissioner SJ Somashekar, who also heads the Kodagu District Tourism Development Committee, issued the order after receiving a report from police.





Officials said the cancellation was prompted by the seriousness of the allegations and concerns over the safety and reputation of the accommodation facility. With the licence revoked, the homestay can no longer operate or accept guests until further orders. Records show the licence was valid until 2029.

The accused, cook Brijeshkumar, 45, and homestay owner PA Ponnappa alias Vishal, 55, have been in judicial custody since their arrest Sunday. Police are likely to take them into custody for further questioning.

Based on a complaint filed by the woman, police have booked them under BNS Section 64(1) (rape), Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation), Section 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), and Section 239 (intentional omission to give information).

Kodagu police registered the FIR on April 18, six days after the alleged assault. The survivor told police that she first contacted a friend in Bengaluru, then a colleague in the US, and later reached out to the US Consulate to facilitate legal formalities.

Sources said she underwent a medical examination on April 19 at a private hospital in Mysuru. Medico-legal procedures were completed, and samples collected during the examination have been sent to the forensic science laboratory for analysis. Police officers accompanied her during the process.

Homestay owner disputes allegations

Meanwhile, the accused have moved bail petitions before a court in Virajpet. The petitions are scheduled to come up for hearing Friday.

Advocate Kokkanda Appanna, appearing for homestay owner Vishal, claimed there were discrepancies between the complaint and what he described as the sequence of events. He said that after the alleged incident, the survivor went to a swimming pool and spent time there, and later shifted from a tent house to a safer place inside the homestay with the support of the owner's mother.

He further claimed that in the following days, Vishal took her to Kushalnagar, arranged cabs for visits to the Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement in Mysuru district and an elephant camp, and later organised transport to Mysuru after three days.

He told TOI that Vishal's elderly mother and wife were present at the homestay, and that the survivor did not disclose any assault to them and appeared normal during her stay.
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