Tourists wear rain ponchos on Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in London May 27, 2014. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor
Tourists wear rain ponchos on Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in London May 27, 2014. Reuters/Luke MacGregor

A shocking case of a travel lodge owner drugging the inmates in his hostel and filming his sexual acts on them, has been reported from New Zealand. The hostel owner has been arrested by the police. The victims were young male backpackers from various countries, reported the BBC.

Michael Harris, 56, is facing 39 charges in connection with alleged sex acts on inmates whom he drugged and later filmed his acts. The videos of sexual assault on 16 male backpackers have been seized from him. The lodge owner carried out his disturbing acts for 30 months at the Mainstreet Lodge in Kaitaia. The victims were in the age group of 18 to 25. Most of the victims stayed temporarily in the main wing of the lodge during that period. The lodge has been offering backpacking facilities and hotel units and longer term accommodation at the owner's residence.

Global Victims

New Zealand police said they have been contacted by potential victims from around the world after the local man was charged with drugging and indecently assaulting tourists. The Police said the potential victims they had contact included people from England, New Zealand, Scotland, Germany, and USA.

Detective Senior Sergeant Rhys Johnson noted that the victims may not know something had happened on them, although they may have suspicions. He said the police will handle the victims very sensitively and offer all support, reported Huffington Post. The police also appealed to all who lived in the hostel in the last two years to contact them.

Charges

The charges on the abuser include aggravated wounding, indecent assault and indulging in intimate visual recordings and possession of such materials. The police also said in a statement said they are willing to speak to anyone who had stayed at abuser's lodge in the past two and a half years. More investigations are on.

Kaitaia is New Zealand's North Island and is the gateway to the far north, according to the website of New Zealand Tourism. With a population of around 5,200, the place has attractions including the lighthouse of Cape Reinga - near the northernmost point of New Zealand.