Israeli tourist, homestay owner raped in Karnataka

An Israeli woman and a homestay owner were allegedly raped, while three others, including a foreign national, were assaulted and pushed into a canal near Sanapur in Karnataka’s Koppal district.

The incident took place on Thursday night under the Gangavathi Rural police station, located close to the UNESCO heritage site Hampi.

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According to a news agency, the accused pushed three other tourists who were with the two women into a nearby canal before allegedly assaulting the women.

They were stargazing near the canal after dinner when three men on motorcycles approached them on the pretext of asking where they could find petrol.

Later, they allegedly started asking for money and began assaulting them. The accused then pushed the three males into the canal and allegedly raped the women.

While the two male tourists managed to swim back to the surface, another is feared dead.

“Two women, including a foreign national, were allegedly raped near the Hampi heritage site in Karnataka and one male tourist who was with them was found dead. The body of Bibas, a resident of Odisha was found near power house of canal, nearly two Kms away from the incident. The group which attacked them allegedly pushed him into the Tungabhadra River canal yesterday. Gangavathi Rural police have registered a case of rape, robbery, assault and attempt to murder against the accused” the Karnataka Police was quoted as saying by a news agency.

Following the incident, the 29-year-old homestay owner, who had taken the tourists for stargazing, filed a police complaint alleging assault and rape.

According to police sources, the medical examination of the victims has confirmed sexual assault.

The accused, who disappeared after committing the crime, have also been identified, and two teams have been formed to nab them.