Three men have been awarded the death penalty for gang-raping an Israeli tourist and a homestay owner and murdering a male tourist in a brutal attack near Hampi in 2025.
A court in Gangavathi, Karnataka, has sentenced Mallesh alias Handimall, Sai, and Sharanappa to capital punishment after finding them guilty in the case. The First Additional District and Sessions Court had convicted the trio on February 6, and the sentence was pronounced on Monday by Judge Sadananda Nagappa Naik.
The incident occurred on the night of March 6, 2025, when a group of tourists went stargazing near Sanapur Lake, around four kilometres from Hampi.
The group included a 27-year-old woman from Israel, a 29-year-old homestay owner, and three men from the United States, Odisha, and Maharashtra. They were sitting near the bank of the Tungabhadra Canal, playing music, when three men arrived on a motorcycle.
As per the complaint, the assailants initially asked for directions to a petrol pump and then demanded money. When the group refused, the situation turned violent. The attackers assaulted the tourists and pushed the three men into the canal.
While the men struggled in the water, two of the accused raped the homestay owner, and another sexually assaulted the Israeli woman after dragging her aside. The attackers also looted mobile phones and cash before escaping.
Two of the male tourists managed to swim to safety and were admitted to hospital. However, the tourist from Odisha drowned, and his body was recovered the following morning, leading to the addition of a murder charge.
The crime, involving foreign visitors at a major tourist destination, sparked strong political reactions and raised concerns about tourist safety. Police launched an intensive search operation and arrested the accused within days.
Eleven months after the incident, the court has now awarded the death penalty to all three convicts.