The woman Israeli tourist fell victim in the shocking Hampi gangrape case along with a woman homestay owner on Thursday night
GUWAHATI, March 11: The woman Israeli tourist who fell victim in the shocking Hampi gangrape case has returned home “deeply shaken”, media reports stated.
The 27-year-old female tourist along with a 29-year-old homestay owner was gangraped by three men near the Hampi heritage site in Karnataka on Thursday night while their three male companions— a tourist from the United States and two other travellers from Maharashtra and Odisha — were pushed into a canal while they were stargazing. Two of the three accused have been arrested while another person whose identity has not been revealed by Karnataka Police has also been taken into custody.
While the American national and the tourist from Maharashtra managed to swim ashore, the body of the traveller from Odisha, identified as 29-year-old HR manager Bibhas Nayak, was recovered from the canal on Saturday (March 8) morning.
The woman Israeli tourist, the female homestay owner and their three male companions had gone for stargazing on the banks of the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal after dinner when the shocking incident took place.
The three accused, reports said, had arrived on a motorcycle and inquired as to where they could get petrol. When they were told that there was no petrol pumps nearby, the trio demanded Rs 100 from the women victims and their male companions.
Reports stated that the trio then began abusing the homestay owner and her companions even after the traveller from Odisha gave the trio a 20-rupee note.
The three accused then pushed the three men into the canal before dragging the homestay owner to the side of the canal where two of them raped her. They also snatched her purse and stole two mobile phones and Rs 9,500 cash, the victim stated in her FIR.
Another accused then dragged the woman Israeli tourist and raped her as well.
While two of the three men, including the American tourist, had a close shave as they were able to swim out of the waterbody, the body of the traveller from Odisha was recovered from the canal on Saturday.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had termed the rape case a “heinous crime” and said swift action have been taken by police and that two of the three accused have already been arrested.
“As soon as the incident was reported, I directed the concerned police officials to take immediate action, conduct a stringent investigation, and swiftly apprehend the culprits. The police have already arrested two accused and are continuing the investigation,” Siddaramaiah had written on ‘X’ after the crime came to light.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, on the other hand, announced that security arrangements at tourist destinations will be further strengthened in the wake of the incident.
Meanwhile, family members and relatives of Bibhas Nayak, an HR manager employed with St. Stephen’s Hospital in the national capital, remembered him as a kind and well-mannered person who loved adventure and would travel across the country on his bicycle.
Nayak, family members said, was visiting Karnataka since he was extremely passionate about travelling. It was in Koppal district of the State that he met the woman Israeli tourist and the homestay owner along with the other two male tourists and quickly bonded with them.
However, the decision to go stargazing on the night of March 6 proved costly for him and the other members of the group as he was flung into the canal by the three attackers as he tried to defend the two women from them.
“We want a fair investigation and the culprits punished,” his family, still in shock and finding it very hard to come to terms with the incident, said.
