New Delhi, India. July 6 2012
My name is Star Johansen; my given name is Jessica. I am 23 years old, 5ft 5 inches tall, and weigh 115 lbs. I have blue eyes and long blonde hair that I wear in dreadlocks, but you can see that. I am American.
Two men kidnapped me; I was able to escape from them before anything too terrible could happen.
The first man was Amar, his partner called him. Amar was about the same height as me, around 5ft 5 inches. He had an average build, about 130 lbs and was 35 years old. He has short curly dark hair and olive-coloured skin. The most notable feature on his face was the one thick eyebrow on his forehead. He has a crooked but friendly smile. He wore beige shorts, black slippers and a red button-down short-sleeve shirt.
Amar and I met at Zing on my first day in Dehli. Zing is the restaurant of my hotel. It was my first trip to Dehli, and I rented a room at The Met on Bangla Sahib Road. I planned to stay there for three days before travelling north towards the Himalayas.
After checking into the hotel early Sunday morning, around 9 am, I went to my room. I unpacked because I would only be here for three days. Instead, I lay on the bed and looked out the window. I was excited to be here.
I was hungry from travelling and excited to see Delhi, so I washed my face and hands in the bathroom sink, grabbed my purse, and went down to the lobby. I asked where I could get some food, and the receptionist told me where Zing was, so I headed there.
I walked out of the hotel and turned right. I didn’t need to go outside to get to the café, but I wanted to. I walked 50 meters and went back into the building to the café. I chose a seat by the window and sat down.
The waiter came over and asked what I’d like to eat, and I ordered a sweet pastry and a cup of coffee. As the waiter walked away, Amar walked over to my table and said hello. He sat down across from me. I greeted him, and he asked if I was new to Delhi.
We had a pleasant conversation, and I was naively happy with the company of this local man. He told me how to get to the Shivaji Metro and suggested a few temples to visit on my trip. There was nothing out of the ordinary in our socializing.
The waiter had returned, I had eaten and decided to pay my bill. Amar insisted he pays for my breakfast as a welcome gift. I tried to resist, but he would not accept it. So I thanked him graciously and went about my day.
I visited Agni Park and The Pracheen Hanuman Mandir that day. But mostly, I just walked around absorbing all the sights and sounds of Delhi. Around 4:30 in the afternoon, I headed back to the hotel to nap. I was tired. Back in the hotel, I showered and slept. Around 7:30 in the evening, I was hungry and decided to go for food. I put on a green dress, grabbed my bag and headed down to Zing for food.
While I was eating, Amar showed up again; it was nice to see a familiar face. I smiled, and he sat down again. As we were chatting about what I had seen that day, another man came to the table. Amar introduced him as Kumar.
Kumar was younger than Amar, maybe 25. He was much more handsome than Amar; he was clean-cut and well-trained and wore jeans and what looked like new gym shoes. His tight white t-shirt showed off his muscles, and his dark hair was kept very short; Kumar was also of Indian descent.
Both men were very kind, and I enjoyed their company as I ate my meal. They asked me if I had plans for the evening, and I told them no. Kumar suggested a club that had recently opened in Delhi by Kitty Su.
Being too trusting and wanting to have fun, I made the mistake of going with them. Kitty Su is on Barakhamba Avenue, the other side of town from my hotel. So we shared a cab to get there. We got there around 10:30 pm, and the party was just getting started. I loved watching all the people; Kumar and Amar seemed to know everyone; nevertheless, I had a great time.
I was drinking rum and cokes, and Kumar brought them to me. I had two drinks and then went onto the dance floor. It was fun. The music was loud, and I was happy. Then I walked back to the corner table where I was sitting with a group of people, and Kumar handed me another drink. That was around 12:30, and it was the last thing I remember.
When I woke up, I was in a strange room. It was poorly lit from one window looking outside; across the street was another building. The walls were yellow; I don’t know if it was paint or filth. There was an old bed in the room and a small desk with a chair and a tv. I could hear Kumar talking to someone, which made me feel better. I tried to stand up, but I felt sick. I did not remember drinking that much. Kumar came out of the bathroom, and I laughed a bit and asked him what happened last night, and he just said: “Shut up bitch.” Now I was confused by his behaviour. I asked him what his problem was, and he just ignored me.
That is when Amar walked into the room, and he and Kumar started talking to each other in Hindi. Kumar gave Amar some money, leaving without even looking at me. I stood up, dizzy and began to walk to the door to leave. That’s when Kumar pushed me back onto the floor and refused to let me go.
I am so glad I got out of there; there is no telling what he planned to do with me.
Sincerely,
Star Johansen