[An 80-year-old German tourist was allegedly raped by an unidentified three-member gang at her apartment in Marawila yesterday, police said.

The woman was sleeping alone in her apartment at the Marawilla Sports Resort when she was woken up by someone banging on the door and calling out her name saying they were from the police.

Her son said the men who were not in police uniform had forcibly entered the room when his mother had opened the door. He said the men were armed with knives and some other sharp objects.

Two of the men had allegedly pushed the woman to the bed after threatening her and raped her while the third hadallegedly robbed her jewellery worth some Rs. three million.]

Rapes do occur in all countries, but in Sorry Lanka the chances of a successful prosecution in such cases are slim, especially if the assailants are politically influential.