Bengaluru: Three men, convicted in the rape case of a foreign tourist and a homestay owner, and the murder of another visitor from Odisha near Hampi about a year ago, have been handed the death penalty by a Karnataka court.
Earlier this month, the First Additional District and Sessions Court in Gangavathi found the trio guilty. Judge Sadananda Nagappa Naik pronounced the sentence on Monday, awarding capital punishment to the accused trio of Mallesh alias Handimall, Sai and Sharanappa.
The incident took place on the night of March 6, 2025, when a group of tourists stepped out after dinner to go stargazing near Sanapur Lake, about 4 kilometres from the world heritage site.
The group — comprising a 27-year-old Israeli woman, a 29-year-old homestay owner, and three men hailing from the US, Odisha and Maharashtra – was sitting by the bank of Tungabhadra canal, playing the guitar and listening to music, when three men arrived at the spot on a motorcycle.
The complaint filed by the homestay owner said that the bike-borne men first asked for directions to a petrol pump before demanding money.
After the tourists refused to give money, the three accused assaulted them, pushing the three men into the canal.
Two of the accused then raped the homestay owner, while the third person dragged the Israeli woman aside and sexually assaulted her. The assailants also robbed the victims of mobile phones and cash before fleeing, the complaint added.
Two male tourists swam to safety and were taken to a hospital for treatment. However, the man from Odisha, identified as 26-year-old Bibhas Nayak from Puri, drowned and his body was recovered the next morning.
Eleven months after the brutal crime, the accused have been given capital punishment.
