Koppal, 9 March  

The third accused in the gang rape and murder case in Koppal district has been arrested, Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said on Sunday.

Two of the three men accused of assaulting five tourists and raping two women were arrested on Saturday. The third accused, Sharanu alias Sharanappa was arrested in Tamil Nadu on Sunday where he had fled after the crime.

They were involved in theft, eve- teasing and several others cases in Gangavathi rural police Station limits

"Three people were involved in this horrific crime, which should never have happened. Two were arrested yesterday, and the third was caught today," said Tangadagi, who is also the Koppal district in-charge minister.

The suspects arrested in have been identified as 21-year-old Mallesha alias Handi Mallesh and 21-year-old Sai Chetan, both residents of Sainagar in Gangavathi taluk, Koppal district, about 350 km from Bengaluru.

According to the Police, a five-member group one each from Israel and America nationalists had come to Hampi in Koppal district to attend a musical concert on Thursday. On the same day, after dinner, a 29-year-old homestay operator, along with the Israeli tourist and three male tourists, were sitting by the left bank of the Tungabhadra Canal near Sanapur Lake, playing the guitar, enjoying music, and stargazing.

Among the male tourists, one was from the United States, while the others were from Odisha and Maharashtra, police said.

The group was approached by three men around 25 years’ old who spoke in both Kannada and Telugu asking for directions to the nearest petrol bunk, then they started demanding money. When they were refused, the men were pushed into a canal, and one of their bodies was recovered on Saturday. While the male tourists were trying to stay afloat, the three men raped the two women.