The third accused involved in the gang rape and assault of two women, including a 27-year-old Israeli tourist, near Hampi in Koppal district of Karnataka has been arrested in Tamil Nadu, where he had fled after the crime on March 6, police said on Sunday, adding he was being brought to the state for further investigation.
Meanwhile, Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara assured that security measures at tourist destinations will be significantly strengthened in the wake of recent rape of a foreign national and a homestay owner at Hampi. He added that moving forward, tourists visiting the state will be briefed on the dos and don’ts to ensure their safety.
The accused has been identified as Sairam (he goes by a single name) and his arrest came a day after two other accused — Mallesh (22) and Chetansai Sillekyatar (21) — were taken into custody, a senior police officer said.
“Based on the information gathered from the initial arrests, our team tracked Sairam’s movements using his mobile number and successfully apprehended him. He is now being brought back to Karnataka for further investigation,” the senior officer said, requesting anonymity.
The officer said that as part of the investigation, the two men arrested earlier were taken to the crime scene on Sunday, with authorities conducting a spot panchnama and recording the statements of the accused about the sequence of events.
According to the police, the incident took place on March 6, when two women — a 29-year-old homestay operator and an Israeli tourist — were allegedly gangraped and assaulted while there were out stargazing near Hampi with three male tourists.
In a police complaint, the homestay operator has alleged that after dinner, she along with the Israeli tourist and three men—a tourist from the US, one from Maharashtra, and an Odisha resident—were camping by the bank of the Tungabhadra Canal near Sanapur Lake in Gangavati, a popular tourist destination around 11 pm.
“In her complaint, the homestay operator alleged that while they were stargazing and playing music, three men who came on a motorcycle approached them, asking where they could get petrol. When she informed them that there were no petrol pumps nearby, the accused demanded ₹100 from them,” Koppal superintendent of police Ram L Arasiddi said on Saturday.
He added that one of the men gave the accused ₹20, but the suspects demanded more cash, which led to an argument.
“When the group refused to give them more money, the accused started abusing them. They then pushed the three male members into the canal and sexually assaulted the homestay operator and the Israeli tourist,” the SP said.
Two of the men swam to safety, but the Odisha resident, identified as D Bose, remained missing. His body was recovered on Saturday, police said. “We found his body six kilometres downstream. We are trying to reach his family and relatives in Odisha,” Arasiddi said.
Based on the homestay owner’s complaint, police lodged a case under the relevant BNS section, including gang rape, at the Gangavathi Rural police station. They arrested two of the accused, who worked as masons, while the third suspect was nabbed from neighbouring Tamil Nadu on Sunday, police said.
The two arrested suspects have already confessed to their involvement in the crime, police said. In her complaint, the woman also said that the three men also snatched her bag and stole two mobile phones and ₹9,500 in cash.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Sunday, home minister Parameshwara said the state government is reviewing existing security measures and will introduce stricter safeguards for visitors.
“Definitely we are going to step up our security measures in places like Hampi and other tourist places,” he said, noting the incident of gang rape of two women, including an Israeli national, is likely to affect the tourism sector.
“On the one hand we are trying to attract tourists from across the world while on the other incidents like this deter the tourists from visiting our country,” he added.