2025 Hampi Case: 3 Sentenced To Death For Gang-Raping 2 Women Including Israeli Visitor, Murdering Another Tourist
Lawyers said this is the first time in the history of the court that a case was heard and the judgement passsed within six months.
Published : February 16, 2026 at 6:55 PM IST
Gangavathi (Koppal): A district court in Karnataka’s Koppal on Monday sentenced to death three youths convicted for murdering an Indian tourist, gang-raping a tourist from Israel and an Indian home stay owner, and assaulting and robbing an American tourist in Hampi in March 2025.
The trio in their 20s were sentenced to death by the Additional and Sessions Court in Gangavathi. The court also awarded life imprisonment for five related charges.
The verdict was pronounced at 3.10 pm on Monday by Judge Sadanand Nagappa Naik. As the sentence was read out, the accused, who were present in court, broke down in tears.
The case involved the rape of an Israeli woman and a local woman, the murder of a tourist, and an attempt to murder two other tourists by pushing them into the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal. The two survivors were an American national and a tourist from Maharashtra.
While delivering the judgment, the court considered charges of rape, murder, robbery, criminal conspiracy, assault and other offences. The judge imposed the death penalty under Section 301 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in one case and life imprisonment in five others. The convicts have been identified as Mallesh alias Handi Malla Ayyappa Dasar, a labourer from Sai Nagar in Gangavathi, mason Chetan Sai Kameshwar Rao, and Sharanappa alias Sharanabasavaraj.
Public prosecutor Nagalakshmi said a copy of the order would be submitted to the Karnataka High Court for confirmation, after which the sentence would be carried out in accordance with the law.
First Such Verdict in Gangavathi Court
According to lawyers associated with the case, this is the first time in the history of the Gangavathi court that a death sentence has been delivered within six months of the case being committed to trial. The incident took place on March 6, 2025, and the police had 90 days to file the chargesheet. After the chargesheet was filed in the lower court, the matter was committed to the district court, which completed the trial and pronounced judgment within six months.
Historic Judgment for Koppal
Legal observers described the verdict as historic, as no death penalty had been pronounced by the district court in the 25 years since Koppal was formed.
Earlier, in the Marakumbi caste violence case, in which homes of people belonging to the Dalit community were set on fire during clashes with upper castes, the Koppal district court had sentenced 98 persons to life imprisonment. That was considered one of the largest judgments in the district's history. However, the March 6, 2025, gang rape case in Sanapur of Gangavathi taluk, involving an Israeli tourist, had drawn nationwide attention.
Background of the Incident
The crime took place in the Hampi–Anegundi region, a popular tourist destination. The Israeli woman and a local home stay owner were sitting by the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal late at night, enjoying the riverside and playing guitar. The three accused allegedly arrived at the spot and raped both women. When three young men accompanying the women tried to intervene, the attackers assaulted them.
The victims included Daniel, an American national; Pankaj Patel from Maharashtra's Nashik; and Bibas (43) from Odisha. During the assault, the accused pushed Bibas into the canal, leading to his death, while the other two tourists survived.
The case had triggered widespread outrage across the country, particularly because it involved foreign nationals visiting a well-known heritage circuit. The swift trial and the imposition of capital punishment mark a rare and significant moment in the judicial history of the district.
Also Read
