"Athithi Devo Bhawa (Guest is God)" continues...

The entire group was taken to Evergreen Hotel at Chameliwala Market from the bus stand by auto-rickshaw drivers, who all seemed to have ganged up in persuading them to stay at the hotel. Judy and her friend Joan Doff (name changed), aged 22, shared Room No.350 of the hotel.

The same day in the afternoon, Joan Doff, while returning to the hotel from a nearby
post-office, was accosted by a guy who introduced himself as Chiku. He tried to befriend her but was rebuffed by Joan. Later, in the evening when Joan was on her way back from the City Centre, she was met by the same Chiku and informed that, while she was away, a member of her group of six had gone missing. He offered to assist her in looking for the ‘missing girl’ but Joan again turned down the offer.

Next morning, on November 16, both Julie and Joan went to a cyber-café located close
to the hotel to check on their e-mail. Chiku was there too. He offered to take them around Jaipur for sight-seeing. This time the girls fell for the bait and accepted his offer. Chiku asked another friend of his called Noorie to bring a car in which they drove out to visit Amer Fort, the main tourist attraction of Jaipur. After driving for ten minutes, the two miscreants stopped their car in a busy market, ostensibly to pick up a few items from their shop located close by. They invited the girls to come see their shop and have tea with them. The girls accompanied them down a narrow and dark alleyway, where they came to an old building. They followed the goons up a circular staircase to a first-floor shop with no signboard or nameplate. It had a glass door with Lord Ganesh etched on it. The tourists were offered tea and shown some gems and
stones. Meanwhile, another ‘Indian male’ called Mike aka Mikesh came to the shop and proposed to the ladies that they join a scheme whereby they (the tourists) could earn some quick and big money.

To be continued...