A 22-year-old female Russian tourist was taken to hospital with severe burns in India

A 22-year-old female Russian tourist was taken to hospital with severe burns after acid was thrown on her allegedly by her landlord’s son in Varanasi on Friday.

According to police, the incident took place while the woman was asleep, the Indian media reported.

The Russian tourist suffered burns on one side of her face and shoulders, police said, adding that she was however out of danger.

A senior police officers told the media that a search has been launched to arrest the landlord’s son, who disappeared after the attack.

Police are waiting for the victim to regain consciousness to record her statement.

This is not the first time a female foreign tourist has come under attack in India. Five men were arrested for kidnapping and raping a Japanese tourist in Kolkata in January.

In September, an American tourist had accused two men of raping her in the popular hill station of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.

In addition to these, there were more than 300 acid attacks last year, according to a newspaper report in April based on provisional data from India’s National Crime Records Bureau.

The Supreme Court of India has repeatedly warned authorities to enforce restrictions on the sale of acid, but campaigners say it remains easy to purchase and inexpensive.