UK woman 'stabbed to death' in Kashmir!

The British High Commission in Delhi says it is investigating reports that a British woman has been found dead in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Police said the woman had been stabbed to death on a houseboat in the summer capital, Srinagar.

The woman was found on a houseboat in a popular tourist destination,

A Dutch man in his 40s, who was also apparently staying in the houseboat, has been arrested, police added.

The commission says it is in touch with local authorities and is trying to get more information.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it is looking into the reports.

"We are aware of reports of an incident involving a British national in Srinagar, Kashmir, and are looking into it," a spokesman said.

Indian media have reported that the woman was in her twenties.

Abdul Ghani Mir, the police inspector general of Indian-administered Kashmir, told the NDTV channel: "The Dutch national had fled from the houseboat in the night, leaving behind his belongings.

"He was trying to flee from the Valley, carrying only his passport. We flashed an alert for his arrest."

He was arrested in Qazigund, a town just under 75km (45 miles) south of Srinagar.

The British woman had been staying on the houseboat for two months, the owner told the television station, adding that she had been "like her daughter".

Correspondents say violent attacks on women have been in greater focus in India since the fatal gang rape of a young student in Delhi last December which led to widespread protests.

A BBC reporter in India said the incident would be seen as a setback to the struggling tourism industry in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The Foreign Office lifted its warning against travel to the cities of Srinagar and Jammu last November, although warnings remained in force in the rest of Kashmir.

The Himalayan region is divided between Indian and Pakistan but claimed in entirety by both nations.

Our correspondent says the latest spate of tensions erupted after the hanging of militant Afzal Guru in February for plotting an attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001.