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Two women were gang-raped and a man was killed in an attack near a popular Unesco World Heritage site in southern India, according to police. <\/p>\n
The two women – an Israeli tourist and an Indian homestay operator – were stargazing with three male tourists near a lake in Hampi, Karnataka, when they were attacked by a group of men on Thursday night, police superintendent Ram Arasiddi told Reuters.<\/p>\n
Arasiddi said the assailants pushed the men into the Tungabhadra River canal before raping the women. <\/p>\n
Two of the men, one of them American, survived, and the third man’s body was recovered on Saturday morning, he said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
“Five people – two women and three men – were attacked near Sanapur,” Arasiddi said. <\/p>\n
“Two of them are foreigners, an American [man], and another a woman from Israel.” <\/p>\n
Police have arrested two of the men accused of the attack and an investigation is ongoing, Arasiddi said.<\/p>\n
Police believe the men followed the group. <\/p>\n
According to witness testimony from one of the women, the group was stargazing near a temple in Sanapur when three men arrived on a motorcycle and asked them where they could get petrol.<\/p>\n
As one member of the group gave them directions, one of the three men demanded 100 rupees ($1.29) from the tourists. <\/p>\n
“Since the homestay operator did not know them, she told them they had no money,” police said. <\/p>\n
“When the men repeatedly insisted, one of the male tourists gave them 20 rupees. <\/p>\n
“After that, the three men allegedly started arguing.” <\/p>\n
The body of one of the male tourists was later found in the Tungabhadra canal in Karnataka’s Koppal district.<\/p>\n
A case has been registered at Gangavathi Rural Police Station under sections related to extortion, robbery, gang rape and attempted murder.<\/p>\n
The victims are receiving medical treatment at a government hospital, the police said.<\/p>\n
Hampi, an ancient village in the south Indian state of Karnataka, is home to numerous ruins and temples from the Vijayanagara Empire. It was declared as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1986. <\/p>\n
In a post on X, Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah wrote: “The attack and rape of an Israeli citizen and homestay owner is a most heinous act. <\/p>\n
“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. <\/p>\n
“The police have arrested two accused in connection with the case and are continuing the investigation.”<\/p>\n
Attacks on women in India gained international attention last year after the brutal rape-homicide of a junior doctor at a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata. <\/p>\n
The attack sparked national outrage and protests over a lack of safety for women.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n