Hampi gang rape and murder: Court sentences three to death

In a landmark judgment relating to a crime that drew international condemnation, the First Additional District and Sessions Court in Gangavathi on Monday sentenced three men to death for the brutal gang rape of two women and the murder of a tourist near Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal in Sanapur in Koppal district, last year.

The accused Mallesh alias Handi Malla, 22, Sai alias Chaitannay Sai, 21, and Sharanappa alias Sharanabasavaraj, 27 , were found guilty of various offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including murder, gang rape, and robbery.

The incident occurred on the night of March 6, 2025, near the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal in Sanapur. The victims — a 27-year-old Israeli traveller and a 29-year-old homestay owner from Anegundi — were stargazing and listening to music with three male friends from the U.S., Maharashtra, and Odisha.

According to the police complaint, the convicts arrived on a motorcycle, initially pretending to ask for petrol. They soon demanded ₹100 from the group. When the tourists refused, the trio assaulted the victims. The attackers pushed the three male tourists into the deep canal before turning on the women and brutally assaulting and raping both of them.

While Daniel of the U.S. and Pankaj of Maharashtra managed to swim to safety and reach a community health centre in Gangavathi, Bibhash Kumar Nayak, a young tourist from Odisha, drowned. His body was recovered days later by Koppal police near a powerhouse gate in Mallapur.

The Koppal police formed six teams and arrested Mallesh and Sai in Gangavathi within 48 hours, while Sharanappa was tracked down and arrested in Tamil Nadu in a week.

The court convicted the trio under Section 103(1) of the BNS for the murder of Nayak, alongside charges of gang rape and attempt to murder. The First Additional District and Sessions Judge Sadanand Nagappa Nayak noted the extreme brutality of the act, highlighting that the victims were targeted while enjoying a peaceful evening in a high-profile tourist zone.

In pronouncing the capital punishment, the court emphasised that such heinous crimes against both domestic and international tourists warrant the maximum penalty to maintain the sanctity of law and public safety.