A 27-year-old female Israeli tourist, and her local host, were gang raped near Hampi in Karnataka, India on Thursday night, in an ambush that also saw her companion drowned after he was thrown into a river, according to local media reports.
The young woman was reportedly with three male friends and her host at the time of the attack. All three were thrown into a river but only two were able to escape the waters, according to India Today. The third friend’s body was recovered on Saturday morning.
The friends were reportedly stargazing and playing music when the attack started. Three men, who were said to speak Kannada and Telugu, approached the group asking for directions to a petrol pump and demanded cash - when the tourists refused, the men reportedly became violent.
Two of the three attackers, after pushing the men into the river, reportedly began rapingthe host while the third dragged away the Israeli national and assaulted her separately. During the attack, where they reportedly used physical violence, they were said to have stolen the victims’ phones and cash.
The suspects
"Yesterday, around 11:30 p.m., two women and three men, four [of them] tourists, visited Hampi and other nearby places. They stayed at a private homestay," Lokesh Kumar, a senior police officer, told India Today.
"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, stating that they didn't have money to buy it, and requesting money. They were given Rs 20 [$0.23], but the men on the bike demanded Rs 100 [$1.15]. An argument ensued, leading to a physical altercation. The men on the bikes fell into the water," Kumar stated.
"We have registered the case and identified the suspects. Six teams have been formed, and efforts are underway to nab them," police said, according to the Business Standard.
The foreign ministry has yet to comment on the reports.
This is a developing story.