2 women, including tourist from Israel, raped and fellow traveller killed by group of 3 near Hampi

The Koppal police Saturday arrested two of the three men allegedly involved in the attack. They have been identified as Sai Chetan and Mallesh, residents of the Gangavathi region, the Koppal Superintendent of Police Dr Ram Arasiddi said.

The Anegundi region where the attack occurred is dotted by several low-cost resorts and is loved by backpackers from across the world as it has an old world charm on account of the remnants of the historical Vijayanagar empire and the natural beauty of of the Tungabhadra river, which winds its way through the small hillocks in the region.

The attack occurred on the night of March 6, when a group of four tourists – two foreigners (a man from the US and an Israeli woman) and two Indian men – and their local guide – a woman who runs the resort where the tourists were staying – were relaxing near the Tungabhadra canal across the river from Hampi.

The crime was reported on the morning of March 7 to the Gangavathi Rural police station by the woman who was the local guide.

She told the police that a group of three men speaking Kannada and Telugu pushed the three men from their group – the 23-year-old US tourist and the Indian tourists from Nasik and Odisha aged 42 and 26 respectively – into the canal and then raped her and the Israeli woman, who is in her 20s. The group had ventured into the area on their scooters for a stargazing experience.

“The three men were pushed into the water, and two managed to swim ashore. The attackers were physically very aggressive despite the group of tourists outnumbering them,” the Koppal district SP Ram Arasiddi said.

“The body of the tourist (Bibash) who drowned following the attack has been found and handed to his family,” the Koppal SP said later. “Two of the men involved in the attack have been arrested. We are looking for the third. They are from Gangavathi.”

According to the police complaint filed on the morning of March 7 by the guide, she had taken a lease of the homestay and was arranging accommodation and tours in the region for tourists.

According to the woman’s complaint, their group was relaxing by the side of the canal, playing a guitar and watching the stars, when, at around 10:30 pm, three youths came on a motorcycle and asked if they could buy some petrol. They then asked for Rs 100 from the tourists.

When the group did not agree to the demands, the gang of three allegedly attacked the tourists, with one of them pushing the three men into the canal. As the three men fell into the canal and tried to stay afloat, the two women on the banks were allegedly raped by their attackers. The gang also took away two mobiles and Rs 9,500 in cash from the tourists.

“While we were screaming and crying, the three men left on their motorcycle. (The US tourist) saved (the Nasik tourist) who fell in the water. We don’t know where Bibash was. I have not found any clue about him yet except his broken watch,” the woman wrote in her complaint.

The complaint stated that the attackers spoke Kannada and Telugu and were aged between 20 and 25.

In a post on X, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah wrote, “The attack and rape of an Israeli citizen and homestay owner is a most heinous act. As soon as the incident was reported, I obtained information from the relevant police, conducted a thorough investigation, and instructed them to quickly identify the culprits. The police have arrested two accused in connection with the case and are continuing the investigation.”

“Our government is committed to providing protection to everyone, including tourists, coming to the state. All necessary measures will be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur,” he wrote.