Fiji police are investigating incidents involving two crew members of the Australian airline Virgin Australia who were allegedly raped and robbed in Nadi in the early hours of New Year's Day.
"The crew members were in the popular tourist destination on a layover before flying out the next day," Fiji's acting police commissioner, Jukie Fong Chu, said in a statement.
Virgin, which said it was aware of the alleged incidents, has sent people to Fiji to provide support but did not provide further details in a statement to Reuters.
Police have learned that some Virgin crew members went to a nightclub in Nadi. “Unfortunately, two of the crew members were victims of alleged theft and rape after leaving the nightclub while trying to find their way back to the hotel,” said Chu.
William Gavoka, Fiji's deputy prime minister and minister for tourism and civil aviation, said these were two separate incidents of alleged theft and sexual assault involving two different Virgin crew members. He said one of the suspects was known to police and had been questioned.
The South Pacific island nation of Fiji is a popular tourist destination. In November 2024 alone, it was visited by 76,845 foreigners, mostly from Australia, New Zealand and North America, according to the country's tourism website.