French tourist faces years behind bars in India for striping naked on sacred bridge

A French woman is facing years in jail after being arrested for stripping n.a.ked for a stunt video on a holy bridge in India.

The 27-year-old could be sentenced for a maximum three-years behind bars after her antics provoked outrage in the Indian city of Rishikesh.

Local police officials explained the backlash provoked by the Frenchwoman was partly due to the religious connections to the iconic Lakshman Jhula footbridge.

The woman was rumbled after she uploaded a video of herself cavorting n.a.ked on the bridge – which stretches over the river Ganges.

R.K. Saklani, head of the police station where the woman was taken said: “Maybe in France these things are not considered objectionable.

“But Rishikesh is a holy place and the Lakshman Jhula is the place where (Hindu gods) Ram, his brother Lakshman and wife Sita crossed the Ganges.”

The woman, named only as Marie-Helene, is said to have been in India since being trapped there due to lockdown in March.

She has allegedly defended her decision to strip for the video as being a promotion for beaded necklaces that she has been selling.

Saklani explained: “She told us she sells bead necklaces online and the shoot was aimed at promoting her business.”

The business stunt clearly backfired as cops were alerted to the footage by angry locals after it was posted online.

The woman has been released on bail but the case could take months to proceed.