 Lucknow, Jan. 20: A German tourist who accused police of taking obscene snapshots in an Allahabad lock-up where she was held for “disorderly conduct” has gone missing after her release at the German embassy’s intervention. Betti Mariam, who attracted attention because of her drunken ways at the Sangam, was put on a bus to Varanasi last evening but has not reached the temple town. The 47-year-old Munich resident spent five days in detention at an all-women police station after being picked up on January 14 from the Magh Mela ground. Mariam, who arrived in India from Italy early this month on an international tourist visa, accused police of photographing her in an “obscene” way and trying to humiliate her on January 16. It couldn’t be confirmed whether she was accusing male or female personnel. Purnendu Singh, the officer in charge at the Magh Mela area, said he had told the German embassy in Delhi about Mariam and was advised to set her free. “We put her on a bus bound for Varanasi last evening because she wanted to go there. The driver of the government bus was told to see that she reached her destination safely,” Singh said. Varanasi police said they hadn’t found her in any guesthouse. “I don’t know if she reached there,” Singh said. Rights groups and women activists fear about Mariam’s safety. “We are trying to get more details on her from the police,” said activist Ranjana Tiwari. Singh said Mariam was always drunk and moved around with people who appeared “suspicious”. “Sometimes she would be high on hashish and at other times on alcohol. We kept her in our custody for her own safety and detained her in an all-women police station. We even tried to cure her of her addiction.” The officer denied Mariam’s allegations and suggested that other tourists may have clicked her while she was drunk. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080121/jsp/nation/story_8806418.jsp
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