Three arrests after 'gang rape' of influencer on round-the-world motorcycle trip in India
Police are searching for four others accused of gang-raping a tourist and beating her partner in the state of Jharkhand. The attack has sparked outrage in a country with a poor record for women's safety.
Sky News, Monday 4 March 2024
A Brazilian-Spanish tourist was allegedly gang raped in India and her partner attacked when they were camping during a motorcycle trip.
Indian police have detained three men and are searching for four others accused of taking part in the attack on Friday night.
Police found the couple, who are Spanish citizens, around 11pm local time on a roadside looking like they had been beaten, Pitamber Singh Kherwar, superintendent of police in Dumka in eastern India, told reporters.
He said the pair had told authorities "their modesty had been outraged" in an incident involving seven men, but he did not give further details.
The couple, who identified themselves as Vicente and Fernanda to Spanish TV channel Antena 3, said in a video interview on Saturday that the men raped Fernanda and hit her partner Vicente repeatedly.
"They raped me, they took turns while some watched and they stayed like that for about two hours," Fernanda, who has joint Brazilian-Spanish nationality, told the broadcaster.
They said they were camping because they could not find a hotel nearby.
They are travelling around the world on motorbikes, documenting their travels to almost 200,000 followers on their joint Instagram account.
There they published a video account of what happened in the attack. In the video, which is no longer available, Vicente said his mouth was "destroyed" after being hit with his helmet.
Fernanda said she had been beaten and raped by seven men, and they had also been robbed.
In a new video, Vicente and Fernanda, who appears with bruises on her face, thanked their Instagram followers for their support.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry said it was sending staff to the area and had been in touch with authorities, while its Brazilian counterpart said it had sought contact with the Brazilian citizen through its embassy in New Delhi and was available to offer every assistance.
Police superintendent Mr Kherwar said on Saturday one of the people detained had given the authorities the names of the other people involved. A forensic science laboratory was helping in the case, he said.
India has a poor record for women's safety, with more than 31,000 rapes reported in 2022.
The attack has sparked outrage in India. Many women shared their experiences of sexual violence on social media, as well as their frustrations over how it is dealt with.
Actor Richa Chadha called the attack "shameful" while comedian Vir Das called for the "strictest punishment" to show such violence would not be tolerated.
Actor Dulquer Salmaan said he was "crushed" to hear the news, writing on Instagram: "This should not happen to anyone anywhere."
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