India sentences three men to death for attack on Israeli tourist and hosts

A tribunal successful confederate India sentenced 3 men to decease aft they were found blameworthy of raping 2 women, including an Israeli tourist, and sidesplitting a man during a convulsive onslaught past twelvemonth successful a practice temple town.

The incident, which drew world condemnation, occurred connected 6 March 2025 erstwhile a group of 5 people, including an American antheral tourer and an Israeli female tourist, were attacked adjacent nan Sanapur Lake successful Hampi successful nan confederate Indian authorities of Karnataka.

The men raped nan 27-year-old Israeli tourer and her 29-year-old Indian homestay big and pushed 3 antheral visitors into a canal. An American tourist, Daniel Pitas, 23, survived nan attack, but a antheral tourer from Odisha was recovered dormant nan adjacent day.

The territory tribunal successful Koppal connected Monday classified nan lawsuit arsenic “rarest of rare” owed to nan brutality involved.

While delivering nan decease sentence, nan tribunal stressed that crimes of specified brutality, committed against some home and world tourists, merited nan harshest reward successful bid to uphold nan norm of rule and safeguard nationalist safety.

The judge said nan victims were targeted while enjoying a serene evening successful a high-profile tourer zone.

The 3 men – Mallesh othername Handi Malla, 22; Sai othername Chaitanya Sai, 21; and Sharanappa othername Sharanabasavaraj, 27 – were convicted connected 6 February connected charges of gang-rape, attempted murder, robbery, and different offences.

After announcing nan blameworthy verdict earlier this month, nan tribunal sought reports connected nan societal background, behaviour wrong jail, and psychological authorities of nan 3 men, who antecedently had criminal records.

The group of visitors had been stargazing and camping adjacent nan Tungabhadra stream astatine nighttime erstwhile 3 men connected a motorbike approached them and demanded money.

When nan victims refused, nan men turned violent, physically assaulting them, pushing nan men into a canal and past sexually assaulting nan women.

“Since nan homestay usability did not cognize them, she told them they had nary money. When nan men many times insisted, 1 of nan antheral visitors from Odisha gave them 20 rupees (£0.16). After that, nan 3 men allegedly started arguing and threatened to bash their heads pinch stones,” constabulary said.

The onslaught renewed longstanding concerns complete nan information of women, particularly overseas visitors successful India. Hampi is simply a Unesco World Heritage site, known for attracting backpackers pinch its spectacular remnants of monuments and temple complexes from nan 14th-century Vijayanagara empire.

A constabulary serviceman acquainted pinch nan specifications of nan onslaught said nan men behaved successful an “inhuman manner” while assaulting nan visitors that night.

The onslaught and nan world attraction prompted nan Karnataka constabulary to shape six typical teams. They arrested 2 of nan accused wrong 48 hours, and nan 3rd was arrested wrong a week of nan crime.

The onslaught came aft akin incidents past year, including nan rape of a tourer from Spain successful Jharkhand and nan rape and execution of a 28-year-old Irish tourist successful Goa.

Reports of intersexual assaults are rampant successful India arsenic constabulary recorded 31,516 rape cases successful 2022, a 20 per cent summation from 2021, according to nan National Crime Records Bureau. Yet nan existent fig is believed to beryllium overmuch higher owed to deficiency of reporting caused by nan stigma surrounding intersexual unit successful nan country.

The decease condemnation is required to beryllium upheld by nan Karnataka High Court and is taxable to entreaty successful Supreme Court.