India sentences 3 to death for rape of Israeli and Indian women, killing of Indian man
Judge says ‘extreme brutality’ of crime merits punishment; in March 2025, the three attacked a group of 5 tourists stargazing near canal, pushed men into water, raped women
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An Indian court on Monday sentenced three men to death for gang raping an Israeli woman and an Indian woman and for killing an Indian man, according to news outlets in the South Asian country.
In the March 2025 incident, a group of three men allegedly attacked a group of five people that included an Israeli woman and an American man who were on a stargazing outing.
According to the NDTV Indian news outlet, the three assailants were sentenced to death by a district court in the southwest state of Karnataka, after being found guilty last year of murder, gang rape, and robbery.
The English-language newspaper, The Hindu, identified the three as Handi Malla, 22, Chaitannay Sai, 21, and Sharanappa Sharanabasavaraj, 27.
According to the paper, the judge “noted the extreme brutality” of the crime, and underscored that “such heinous crimes” against Indian citizens and tourists merit the death penalty.
The sentence is pending confirmation from a higher court, reports added.
Court in Karnataka awarded death penalty to three men convicted of the gang rape of an Israeli tourist and murder of male tourist near Hampi in March last year.
Court described it as "rarest of rare" case. pic.twitter.com/TF3cJvMaEI
— The Tatva (@thetatvaindia) February 16, 2026
The attack happened when a 29-year-old Indian woman, who was hosting travelers, took her guests, two Indian men, an American man, and a 27-year-old Israeli woman, on a stargazing trip at the Tungabhadra Canal.
According to Indian media reports, the five were sitting and playing guitar by the canal when three men on a motorbike approached the group and asked for directions to a gas station, before demanding money.
The three attackers then pushed the three men into the canal and sexually assaulted the two women. One of the Indian men, Bhibash Kumar Nayak, 26, drowned.
The attackers also stole some of the group’s personal belongings and fled. They were found by police and arrested days later in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu.
There were 31,000 reported rapes in India in 2022, the latest year for which data is available — nearly 90 per day. Several high-profile cases of rape and murder in recent years led to widespread protests.
The Times of Israel Community.