A woman has revealed how she was brutally attacked after attending an interview for what she thought was her “dream job”.
Vicky, 27, from London, was delighted to receive a job offer as a masseuse at a luxury hotel in the capital.
She was led to believe that the position, which came with the promise of on-the-job training, was based in hotels and with high-end clients.
But in reality, that role didn’t exist. Instead, vile massage parlour boss Raghu Singamaneni, 50, used the allure of the job as a ruse to meet young women before plying them with alcohol and sexually assaulting them.
The day after she was offered the job, Vicky was lured to a hotel for a “test massage” where the predator raped her.
But Vicky, one of the four victims, found the courage to report him to the police and in June 2023 he was found guilty of three counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of attempted rape.
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison and another two years of probation.
Vicky was excited to receive a job offer as a masseuse in luxury hotels that came with the promise of on-the-job training, but in reality the position did not exist.
Speaking exclusively to Femail, Vicky, who bravely waived her right to anonymity in a bid to encourage other victims of sexual assault to come forward, spoke out about her ordeal.
She said: ‘I thought I had landed a good job. I thought I was perfectly safe. I had no idea that a rapist was hiding behind the job advert.
‘I’m still dealing with the aftermath, but I’m glad that beast can’t do that to anyone else.’
Vicky had signed up to a recruitment app and uploaded her CV and photo, and had previously worked two cleaning jobs through it.
Then, in March 2021, someone named Anna contacted her through the app about a massage job opening.
Vicky explained: ‘I was really keen but I had no experience and I told her so, while we were talking on WhatsApp. She told me it didn’t matter because they would teach me how to do it.
“And when he said the job was based in hotels, involving regular and private clients, it sounded luxurious.”
Vicky was asked to send her measurements for the uniform.
“I felt proud and told my boyfriend Peter, who was 39 at the time, who was really happy for me.”
Vicky, 27, from London, revealed how she was tricked into thinking she had landed a good job but was brutally raped instead.
The next day, Anna sent a message to Vicky telling her that a client had booked a massage at a hotel in North London.
Vicky said: ‘He told me he had known him for a long time, that he was a regular customer and very nice.
“Everything happened faster than I expected and I told Anna about it, but she reassured me. She even sent and paid for an Uber for me.”
But as Vicky sat in the taxi, the journey took so long that she got cold feet. She said: ‘I felt nervous and texted Anna to cancel.
“She responded immediately and said, ‘It’ll be fine, just give it a try,’ so I went ahead.”
Vicky arrived at the hotel around 4pm and a man wearing a baseball cap was waiting for her in the parking lot.
Vicky said: “He smiled, shook my hand and told me his name was Trevor. Trying not to sound nervous, I gave him my name too. We then went through a side door and up some stairs to the first floor.”
Massage parlour boss Raghu Singamaneni, 50, used the lure of the job as a ruse to meet young women before offering them alcohol and sexually assaulting them.
After swiping a key card, Trevor led Vicky into one of the bedrooms.
Vicky said: ‘I thought it was strange that it wasn’t a treatment room, but he smiled and said, “Have a seat.”
“I sat down in a chair by the window. Then he handed me a cup and said, ‘Have a drink.'”
“When I saw the bottle of vodka, I refused, but he insisted, so I drank slowly while we chatted for a while.”
When Vicky finished her drink he offered her another, which she refused. But he insisted and, feeling uncomfortable, she went to the bathroom.
Vicky recalled: ‘When I came out, he had poured another drink. I took a sip and minutes later I felt dizzy.
‘Trevor then asked me to change into the uniform that was on the bed: a sleeveless blue silk blouse with white flowers and a pair of red pajama-style pants.’
Vicky had registered on a recruitment app and, after uploading her CV and photo, had landed two cleaning jobs through it.
Vicky went into the bathroom to change, putting her t-shirt on over her shirt but deciding to keep her black leggings on. When she came out, Trevor was standing by the bed. He took off his shirt.
Vicky said: “I was confused, but he smiled and said we were going to practise on his shoulders. I wondered if this was really some kind of job test… that maybe Trevor wanted to find out if I was up to the job.”
Feeling uncomfortable, Vicky started the massage but he stopped her telling her she was doing it wrong and that he would show her how to do it.
She said: ‘He massaged my shoulders and then told me to try again. So I did, but after five minutes I said, ‘I can’t.’
Trevor told Vicky to sit down and finish her drink, but as she still felt dizzy, she refused and went to the bathroom.
She recalled: ‘I was wondering how to get out. When I re-emerged, Trevor suddenly pushed me onto the bed.
‘I was shocked, asked him what he was doing and tried to get up, but he hissed, ‘Lie down!’ as he pushed me back.
‘He then stripped down to his underwear and before he knew it, he pulled down my underwear and tights.
The police investigated and when they contacted Vicky they told her that someone had been arrested and charged.
“I could barely breathe from fear, but I screamed ‘ENOUGH’ and tried to push him away, but he grabbed my right arm by the wrist and pulled it to the side. Then he raped me. I felt utter revulsion.”
Vicky kept telling him to stop, but he ignored her pleas and held her down with his weight. Eventually, he got off of her.
Vicky jumped up, sobbing, and told him she was going home. He told her he would call her an Uber, and after putting on her clothes, she got in the vehicle as soon as it arrived.
While in the taxi, she texted her boyfriend that she had been raped. She recalled: “Peter called me straight away. ‘What happened?’ she gasped.
“I told him I’d explain when I got back. Then I tried to message Anna, but she had blocked me. Then it hit me. Had the profile been fake? Had it been Trevor all along?”
When Vicky arrived at Peter’s house, she broke down and told him everything. Horrified, he urged her to tell the police and twenty minutes later she was at the police station, giving a statement.
An officer told her that they would need her clothes to do a DNA test. She also had a forensic medical examination at a referral center for victims of sexual assault.
She said: ‘While I was there I was given medication as a preventative measure against HIV, but I was warned it would be three months before they could tell me if I was okay.’
Later, back at Peter’s house, Vicky collapsed into his arms in total shock and for the next few days hit rock bottom.
She said: ‘I couldn’t eat or sleep, the attack kept replaying in my head as I suffered horrible flashbacks and nightmares.
“As my life was falling apart, I didn’t want to go out or see anyone. I would sit in the bathtub for hours scrubbing my skin. It made me feel so dirty.”
Meanwhile the police investigated and when they contacted Vicky they told her that they had arrested and charged someone.
But his name was not Trevor, but Raghu Singamaneni, who pleaded not guilty.
Vicky said: “When my case officer told me it would mean a trial, I was petrified. I don’t know what I would have done without Peter’s support. He and my friends helped me to keep going.
“It was also a relief to know that my HIV test result was negative.”
Then, through her officer, she learned something else: she was not the only victim.
Singamaneni had also been charged with sexual offences against three other women.
In March 2023, Raghu Singamaneni, 50, went on trial at Wood Green Crown Court. The court heard that he ran two massage parlours in north London and had lured his victims by offering them work.
Vicky said: ‘I sat behind a screen when it was my turn to give evidence but I couldn’t face going back to court for the verdict.
“Instead, the officer in charge of the case called me. When I heard the word GUILTY, I cried with relief.”
Singamaneni was found guilty of three counts of rape, two counts of assault with penetration and one count of attempted rape. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison and a further two years of probation.
Vicky said: ‘Afterwards, Peter hugged me and told me how proud he was of me. I’m still dealing with the effects of it all, but I’m glad that monster is behind bars.
“I never imagined that behind the job offer was a massage parlor rapist. I also never knew who Anna was, or if she even existed, but at least that beast can’t do it to anyone else.
“And I would encourage anyone who has been through something similar to contact the police. They will listen to you and support you.”
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