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NEW DELHI: A French woman was arrested for making a video of herself naked on a holy bridge in the Indian city of Rishikesh, police said on Saturday (August 29).
The 27-year-old now faces charges under India’s internet law with a maximum sentence of three years in jail if convicted.
She was arrested on Thursday after posting pictures of herself on the Lakshman Jhula, a pedestrian bridge over the Ganges River made famous by the Beatles in the 1960s and which continues to be a draw for backpackers and yoga practitioners.
“Perhaps in France these things are not considered objectionable,” RK Saklani, head of the police station where the woman was taken, told AFP.
“But Rishikesh is a holy place and Lakshman Jhula is the place where (the Hindu gods) Ram, his brother Lakshman and his wife Sita crossed the Ganges.”
Police only identified the woman by her first name Marie-Helene and said she had been in Rishikesh since March, just before a nationwide coronavirus lockdown was introduced.
“He told us that he sells bead necklaces online and that the filming was aimed at promoting his business,” Saklani said.
Aside from the video on the bridge, the French woman had also taken nude photos inside a hotel room, Saklani added.
Police were alerted after the images and photos were posted on social media.
The woman was released on bail and the case could take months to complete, the officer said. Her mobile phone has been seized as part of the investigation.
