On 16th February, Gangavathi Sessions Court sentenced three men to death for the 2025 gang rape of an Israeli tourist and a homestay operator, and the murder of a male visitor. The incident had taken place near Hampi and had triggered nationwide outrage over tourist safety in the state of Karnataka.
The First Additional District and Sessions Court in Gangavathi, Koppal district, pronounced capital punishment on Monday. Judge Sadananda Nagappa Naik awarded the death sentence to Mallesh alias Handimall, Sai and Sharanappa, eleven months after the crime.
The night of the crime
The incident occurred on 6th March 2025 near Sanapur Lake, close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi. The victims included a 27-year-old Israeli woman, a 29-year-old homestay operator, and three male tourists from the United States, Odisha and Maharashtra.
According to the complaint, the accused arrived on a motorcycle, sought directions to a petrol pump and then demanded money. When refused, they turned violent, pushed the three men into the Tungabhadra canal and sexually assaulted the two women. Two men swam to safety, while Bibash from Odisha drowned. His body was recovered the next morning.
Multiple teams were formed by the police and the accused were arrested within days. The brutality of the crime had drawn sharp political reaction.
Detailed judgment is awaited.
