Hampi horror: 3 get death penalty for gang-rape of Israeli, Indian women and murder of tourist near UNESCO site

• Three men sentenced to death for Hampi gang rape and murder
• Court calls crime "rarest of rare," justifying capital punishment
• Victims included Israeli tourist, local woman, and male tourists

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A sessions court in Karnataka's Koppal district has sentenced three men to death for the brutal gang rape of two women, including an Israeli national, and the murder of a male tourist near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi last year.

The First Additional District and Sessions Court at Gangavathi on Monday pronounced the capital punishment against Mallesh alias Handimalla (22), Sai alias Chaitannay Sai (21) and Sharanappa alias Sharanabasavaraj (27), describing the crime as falling under the "rarest of rare" category warranting the maximum penalty.

The three convicts were found guilty last week of multiple offences, including murder, gang rape, attempted murder and robbery. The court deferred the sentencing hearing until Monday to allow the accused to present arguments on the quantum of punishment.

Presiding Judge Somashekar S Chavan determined that the extraordinary brutality of the offences, which targeted both foreign and domestic tourists, justified the death sentence.

The crimes occurred on the night of March 6, 2025, near the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal in the Sanapura area, close to the globally renowned Hampi ruins. The victims — two women survivors (an Israeli tourist and a local homestay operator) and three male tourists — were approached by the three accused demanding money.

When refused, the attackers allegedly pushed the three men into the canal before sexually assaulting the two women. Two of the male victims — a tourist from Maharashtra and another from the United States — managed to swim to safety. However, Bibhas Kumar Nayak, a 33-year-old tourist from Odisha, drowned in the canal.

The court convicted all three accused for the murder of Nayak under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 — corresponding to Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code — read with the common intention clause.

The court found Mallesh and Sai guilty of gang rape and rape of the Indian woman, while Sai and Sharanappa were convicted of gang rape and rape of the Israeli national under multiple sections of the BNS corresponding to aggravated sexual assault provisions.

All three were also convicted of attempt to murder and causing injuries to the two surviving male tourists under Section 109(1) of the BNS, as well as robbery by causing hurt to the Indian woman victim.

The court further held them guilty of causing grievous bodily harm while committing rape and for robbery involving attempts to cause death — reflecting what the prosecution described as the "extreme brutality" involved in the crime.