Gangavathi (Koppal): The Gangavathi additional district and sessions court Thursday convicted all three accused in the rape-murder case in which two foreign tourists and three Indian citizens accompanying them were attacked near Hampi. The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Feb 16.The crime occurred on the night of March 6, last year, near Sanapur Lake in Gangavathi taluk, about 25 km from the Unesco World Heritage site of Hampi. According to the police, the victims — two women and three men, who had met at a homestay — were stargazing near the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal when the suspects, allegedly intoxicated, approached them demanding money. The tourists initially gave them Rs 20, but when they demanded Rs 100, they refused. The situation escalated into violence, during which, the homestay owner, aged 29, and the 27-year-old Israeli woman were raped. When the three men tried to intervene, Bibash Nayak, 26, a tour guide from Odisha, was pushed into the canal and killed, while Daniel Pitas, 23, a tourist from the US, and Pankaj Amrit Rao Patil, 43, from Nashik, were assaulted. The attackers also robbed two mobile phones and Rs 9,500 in cash before fleeing the spot.After about three hours of the nightmare, the survivors finally managed to reach Gangavathi rural police station to report the crime.The crime triggered widespread outrage and dealt a blow to the region’s image as a safe tourist destination, given its proximity to Hampi. Following the incident, Gangavathi rural police launched an investigation and the three accused were arrested. A chargesheet was later filed against Mallesh alias Handimalla, 22, Sai alias Chetan Sairam, 21, and Sharanappa, 30 — the three accused, all of whom were convicted by the court.The conviction has come 11 months after the crime. Manjunath T, advocate for the accused, confirmed that the court held all three men guilty of the charges. Photo: 06-Accused of Sanapur
