A 19-year-old East San Mateo man pleaded no contest to two counts of attempted kidnapping after he tried to abduct multiple women in separate incidents, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
Royhil Kumar Lakhan, who claimed that he was pranking the women he attacked, entered the plea May 6. Prosecutors said he pulled what appeared to be a gun on three women over a month last fall across San Mateo County, demanding they come with him, perform sex acts or hand over their belongings.
Lakhan was initially also charged with a third felony attempted kidnapping count, two felony counts of attempted kidnapping to commit another crime, one felony count of assault with the intent to commit a felony and one misdemeanor count of cruelty to a child by inflicting injury, according to court records.
San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mara Feiger, Lakhan’s defense attorney, declined to comment Monday.
On Oct. 13 around 10 a.m., prosecutors said, Lakhan pulled his car up in front of a house on Idaho Street in San Mateo, where a 40-year-old woman was in front of the house with her 4-year-old child. Lakhan, wearing a ski mask over his face, exited his car with a handgun.
Lakhan grabbed the woman’s arm and repeatedly demanded in Spanish that she come with him, prosecutors said. When the woman resisted and screamed “no!”, Lakhan fled.
The second incident occurred Oct. 27 around 10 a.m., when Lakhan, driving his SUV, cut off a 24-year-old woman who was on a run on Woodstock Road in Hillsborough, prosecutors said. Lakhan had what appeared to be a handgun and the victim believed that he gestured for her to drop her phone or bag.
The woman ran away from Lakhan, prosecutors said. He was then arrested, and investigators discovered that his handgun was a replica.
It was not immediately clear Monday if Lakhan was cited and released or made bail after that arrest.
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Around 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 2, Lakhan pulled his car up next to a pregnant woman who had been walking on Burlingame Avenue, prosecutors said. He flashed a black handgun at the woman and demanded that she get into his car to perform a sex act on him.
When the woman began to scream, Lakhan drove away, prosecutors said. A witness of the incident took down Lakhan’s license plate number.
Lakhan remains in custody at Maguire Correctional Facility, according to the San Mateo County Inmate Locator. He will next appear in court on July 8 for his probation report and sentencing, according to court records.
