Three Men Sentenced to Death in Karnataka for Gang-Rape of Israeli Tourist

India: In a landmark ruling, the First Additional District and Sessions Court in Gangavathi, Koppal district, on Monday sentenced three men to death for the gang-rape of an Israeli tourist and an Indian homestay owner, along with the murder of a male tourist from Odisha, in a savage attack that occurred near the historic site of Hampi last year.

Judge Sadananda Nagappa Naik pronounced the capital punishment on February 16, 2026, after convicting the trio, Mallesh alias Handi Malla (22), Sai alias Chaitannay Sai alias Saikumar (21), and Sharanappa alias Sharanabasavaraj alias Sharana (27), all from Sainagar in Gangavathi, on February 6, 2026. The court classified the crime as falling under the “rarest of rare” category owing to its extreme brutality.

The convictions covered multiple charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including gang-rape, murder, attempted murder, robbery, extortion, and related offences.

The assault took place on the night of March 6, 2025 (extending into March 7), near Sanapur Lake along the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal, approximately 25 km from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hampi. A group of five tourists, the 27-year-old Israeli woman, the 29-year-old Indian homestay operator from Anegundi, and three men from the United States, Maharashtra, and Odisha (Bibhas Kumar Nayak), were stargazing and enjoying music when the accused approached.

The assailants demanded money, provoked a confrontation, pushed the three men into the canal, causing the drowning death of Bibhas Kumar Nayak, and subsequently gang-raped the two surviving women.

The case drew widespread national and international outrage, highlighting concerns over tourist safety in heritage regions. The death sentences, to be executed by hanging until death, are subject to confirmation by the Karnataka High Court. Concurrent life imprisonment terms were also imposed on certain counts.