Israeli tourist and local woman gang-raped in India, say police

A man was killed and an Israeli female tourist and Indian woman were gang-raped by three men in an attack late on Thursday near a popular Unesco World Heritage site in southern India, local police said on Saturday.

The Indian man and two women were stargazing with two other male tourists in the town of Hampi when the three men attacked them following an altercation over money, police superintendent Ram Arasiddi told Reuters over the phone.

The assailants pushed the men into a river canal before raping the women, he said. Two of the men, including an American, survived, and the third man's body was recovered on Saturday morning.

Police have arrested two of the men accused of the attack and were carrying out further investigations, Arasiddi said. The two were identified as Mallesh alias Handi Malla, 22, and Chetan Sai Sillekyatar, 21, The Times of India reported.

The local woman who was attacked said "that besides being beaten up, the two women were sexually assaulted by the accused," Arasiddi added.

"The horrific assault and rape... is a deeply heinous crime," the state's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah posted on X Saturday.

"The police have already arrested two accused and are continuing the investigation. We will take all necessary measures to prevent such incidents from recurring," he added.

Attacks on women in India gained international attention last year after the brutal rape-homicide of a junior doctor at a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata, sparking national outrage and protests over a lack of safety for women.