An American tourist has been gang-raped by in a hill resort in northern India, police said on Tuesday.
Police say the attack was carried out near the tourist town of Manali in Himachal Pradesh state.
The Himachal Pradesh police said three men were briefly detained in connection with the attack and released, Reuters reports.
Police said the woman was picked up by three men in a truck on Monday night while hitch-hiking back to her guest house. She had been visiting friends and had been unable to find a taxi home.
It is the latest of a series of attacks that have thrown the spotlight on women's safety in the world's largest democracy.
In March, a Swiss tourist was gang-raped while on a camping trip in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
In the same month, a British woman jumped out of her hotel balcony in Uttar Pradesh state to escape a feared sexual assault.
Sex crimes are common in India. The National Crime Records Bureau says more than 24,200 rapes were reported across the country in 2011 - about one every 20 minutes.
A US State Department travel advisory for India says women should observe stringent security precautions, including avoiding use of public transport after dark without the company of known and trustworthy companions.
