Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the gang-rape of two women including an Israeli tourist and the death of a man near a UNESCO World Heritage site in India, police said Sunday.
A group of two women and three men were attacked late Thursday near the Group of Monuments at Hampi, an ancient village in the south Indian state of Karnataka.
The case highlights the chronic issue of violence against women in the world’s most populous country, where an average of nearly 90 rapes a day were reported in 2022.
“The horrific assault and rape… is a deeply heinous crime,” the state’s Chief Minister Siddaramaiah posted on X Saturday.
“The police have already arrested two accused and are continuing the investigation. We will take all necessary measures to prevent such incidents from recurring,” he added.
The group was attacked by individuals on a motorbike while stargazing on the banks of a canal in Koppal after refusing to give them money, according to local media reports.
The attackers threw the men, who were from India and the United States, into the canal before sexually assaulting both women.
One of the two men from India was confirmed dead after police recovered a body from the canal on Saturday.
Both women, an Israeli tourist, and a local homestay owner, were taken to hospital where they are receiving treatment.
Mallesh alias Handi Malla, 22, and Chetan Sai Sillekyatar, 21, were arrested on Saturday, The Times of India reported, while police are continuing to search for a third suspect.
“Out of the three accused, we have arrested two and efforts are being taken to nab the third suspect in the case,” Koppal police superintendent Ram L Arasiddi told NDTV news channel.
The local woman who was attacked said “that besides being beaten up, the two women were sexually assaulted by the accused,” Arasiddi added.
It comes only weeks after an Indian court sentenced the rapist and murderer of a 31-year-old doctor to life in prison.
That case sparked nationwide protests and widespread hospital strikes last year, with regional and national authorities promising strict and swift punishments in such cases.
The 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a Delhi bus also sparked weeks of nationwide protests in India and led to a series of changes to swiftly prosecute such crimes.
AFP
