Two women, including a 27-year-old Israeli tourist and a 29-year-old homestay owner, were allegedly gang-raped near Hampi in Karnataka on Thursday night. Three male companions, who were with the women, were also assaulted by the attackers and later thrown into a canal. One of the men's bodies was recovered from the waters this morning.
According to the police, the incident happened between 11 and 11.30 pm on Thursday by Sanapur Lake - roughly 4 km from Hampi, which is a popular tourist attraction in Karnataka, especially among foreigners. Four tourists, including an Israeli woman, three males from Odisha, the United States and Maharashtra, respectively, along with their female homestay owner had gone stargazing.
At this time, three bike-borne men approached the group and asked them for directions to a petrol pump. When the homestay owner informed the individuals that there was no station nearby, they demanded cash from the group. On refusal, the miscreants - who spoke Kannada and Telugu - misbehaved with the group and began assaulting them.
The homestay owner, who filed the complaint, said that the attackers pushed the male tourists into a canal. Then, while they struggled to come out of the water, two of the three attackers raped her and the Israeli tourist.
Pankaj from Maharashtra and Daniel from the US managed to come out of the canal, and are currently undergoing treatment at a government hospital. However, the tourist from Odisha failed to come out, and his body was found this morning, police said.
"Yesterday, around 11.30 PM, two women and three men, four tourists, visited Hampi and other nearby places. They stayed at a private homestay. One woman and three men, along with the female owner of the homestay, went out to look at the stars and talk. Three young men on a motorbike approached them, asking for petrol, and stating that they did't have money to buy it and requested money. They were given Rs 20, but the men on the bike demanded Rs 100. An argument ensued, leading to a physical altercation. The men on the bikes fell into the water. Of the three men, Daniel and Pankaj managed to get out, but Deboss, from Odisha, could not," Lokesh Kumar, senior cop, told India Today.
"The group then went to a private resort and reported the incident to the police station... All four victims claimed they were sexually assaulted and have been sent for medical examination. The three men, who are believed to be locals, came on a motorbike," he added.
The police, along with fire department officials and doq squads, had been searching for the missing tourist since the incident happened. Another special police team is working to track down the suspects.
An FIR under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered in the case. These include Sections 309(6) (theft of extortion), 311 (robbery with intent to cause death or serious injury), 70(1) (gang-rape), and 109 (attempt to murder).
With one of the male tourists' bodies being recovered now, details of the murder are expected to be added to the FIR.
Source: India Today