16 February 2026 :

A sessions court in Karnataka's Koppal district on February 16, 2026 sentenced three men to death after convicting them in the gang rape of two women, including an Israeli national, and the killing of a male tourist.
The convicts have been identified as Mallesh alias Handimalla, Sai, and Sharanappa. The court pronounced the sentence after holding them guilty of rape and murder in the case that occurred in March last year.
The incident occurred near the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal in Sanapura, close to Hampi. Police said the three convicts had approached the two women survivors, an Israeli tourist and a homestay operator, and three other male tourist friends on the night of March 6, 2025, demanding money.
When denied, the trio allegedly attacked by pushing the three male tourists into the canal and sexually assaulted the two women. Two of the men who were pushed into the canal had managed to swim to safety, while a tourist from Odisha had drowned in the canal.
The crime had sent shockwaves across the country and drawn widespread condemnation. The death sentence was pronounced at the Gangavathi District and Sessions Court. The judge stated that the crime fell under the rarest of rare category, warranting the maximum punishment.