NEW DELHI, Mar 8: Two persons have been arrested in connection with the alleged gang rape of an Israeli tourist and a homestay owner in Karnataka, police said on Saturday.
Two women – including a 27-year-old Israeli tourist and the homestay owner – were allegedly gang-raped by three men on Thursday night when the victims were stargazing on the serene banks of a canal in Koppal, about 350 km from tech hub Bengaluru, with three other travellers.
The accused pushed the three travellers into the canal before targeting the women. While Daniel, who is from the United States, and Pankaj, a traveller from Maharashtra, managed to swim out, Bibash from Odisha drowned. His body was found on Saturday morning.
“Out of the three accused, we have arrested two and efforts are being taken to nab the third suspect in the case,” Koppal Superintendent of Police Ram L Arasiddi said. Police said the victim women were recovering at a government hospital
Providing details, Mr Arasiddi said: “Five people – two women and three men – were attacked near Sanapur. Two of them are foreigners – an American, and another a woman from Israel. The woman said in her complaint that besides being beaten up, the two women were sexually assaulted by the accused.”
In her complaint, the homestay owner, 29, said she and the four guests had gone for stargazing on the banks of Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal after dinner when the accused arrived on a bike. They first asked where they could get petrol and then started demanding Rs 100 from the travellers. On being refused, they attacked the travellers, pushed the men into the canal, and raped the women, the complaint read. They fled on their motorcycle after committing the crime.
Fire officials and the police’s dog squad were deployed to find Bibash on Friday. His body was found on the bank of the canal on Saturday morning. Based on the complaint, a police case has been filed under rape, gang-rape, and robbery charges. Mr Arasiddi said immediate action was taken after women lodged their complaint. Two special teams were investigating the case, he said. He said the women have undergone medical checkup to confirm rape.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his government was committed to providing protection to everyone, including tourists, coming to the state. “As soon as the incident was reported, I obtained information from the relevant police, conducted a thorough investigation, and instructed them to quickly identify the culprits,” he said in a post on X.
“Our government is committed to providing protection to everyone, including tourists, coming to the state. All necessary measures will be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur,” he assured. Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra, however, hit out at the ruling Congress and alleged that despite the rise in crimes against women across the state, the dispensation remains “delusional and indifferent” to the suffering of its people.
(Manas Dasgupta)
