Koppal: A district court has awarded the death penalty to three men convicted in the brutal 2025 rape of a foreign tourist and a homestay owner, along with the murder of another visitor near the heritage tourism belt of Hampi. The verdict brings legal closure to a case that had triggered national outrage and raised serious concerns about tourist safety and violent crime in remote travel zones.
Court awards capital punishment after conviction
The First Additional District and Sessions Court in Gangavathi had earlier found the three accused guilty on February 6. While pronouncing the sentence on Monday, Judge Sadananda Nagappa Naik imposed capital punishment on the convicts — Mallesh alias Handimall, Sai and Sharanappa.
The court held the trio guilty on multiple counts including rape, gang rape, murder, robbery and related offences under criminal law provisions. The judge observed that the nature of the crime fell within the “rarest of rare” category, citing brutality, vulnerability of the victims and the sequence of violent acts committed in one incident.
Legal experts said the sentencing followed detailed examination of forensic evidence, survivor testimony, recovery records and the sequence of events reconstructed by investigators.
Incident took place during late-night outing
The crime dates back to the night of March 6, 2025, when a group of tourists stepped out after dinner for stargazing near Sanapur Lake, located a few kilometres from the Hampi heritage zone. The group included a 27-year-old Israeli woman, a 29-year-old homestay owner, and three male visitors from the United States, Odisha and Maharashtra.
They were seated near a canal bank, playing music and spending time outdoors when three men arrived on a motorcycle and approached them.
According to the complaint later filed by the homestay owner, the men first asked for directions to a petrol pump. The interaction soon turned hostile when they demanded money from the group.
Assault, sexual violence and canal attack
When the tourists refused to hand over money, the attackers allegedly turned violent. They assaulted the group and pushed the three male tourists into the nearby canal.
As the men struggled in the water, two of the accused raped the homestay owner, while another separated the foreign tourist and sexually assaulted her. Investigators told the court that the attacks were deliberate, sequential and involved force and threats.
After the sexual assaults, the accused also robbed the victims of their mobile phones and cash before fleeing the scene on their motorcycle.
Two of the male tourists managed to swim out and survived, though they required hospital treatment. The third man, from Odisha, drowned. His body was recovered the following morning, leading to the addition of a murder charge in the case.
Swift arrests and trial process
The incident drew widespread condemnation because it involved foreign nationals and occurred near a globally known tourism region. Police formed multiple teams and launched a coordinated manhunt immediately after the complaint was filed.
The three accused were arrested within days. During the investigation, officers gathered medical evidence, location data, witness accounts and material recoveries that were later presented during trial.
Prosecutors argued that the crime showed clear intent to assault, exploit and silence the victims, and that the murder resulted directly from the attackers’ actions of forcing the men into the canal.
The trial proceeded on a fast-track basis compared to typical serious crime cases, with the court examining numerous witnesses and forensic reports over the months that followed.
Safety concerns and legal significance
The case had earlier prompted debate around safety arrangements for tourists visiting less-policed rural and heritage-adjacent zones, especially those offering night activities such as trekking and stargazing.
Hospitality operators and travel groups had called for better patrol coverage, verified local transport options and emergency response systems in high-footfall visitor areas.
With the sentencing now delivered roughly eleven months after the crime, prosecutors described the judgment as a strong message against sexual violence and crimes targeting visitors.
The convicts retain the legal right to appeal before higher courts, where the death sentence will undergo mandatory judicial review.