The Spanish-Brazilian woman allegedly raped by seven men during a motorcycle trip through India remains “mentally strong” despite suffering lasting trauma, says a social worker who spoke to the victim.
The 28-year-old tourist was on a motorcycle trip with her 64-year-old husband when they were attacked by a group of men in the Dumka district of the eastern state of Jharkhand on Friday evening. They had already traveled to Pakistan and Bangladesh as part of their tour of South Asia, and were heading north to Nepal at the time.
On Tuesday, the couple was escorted from Jharkhand by officials tasked with ensuring they leave India safely for the remainder of their journey in Nepal, Dumka police chief Pitamber Singh Kherwar said. The independent.
He said police have now arrested four suspects, three of whom were pictured blindfolded and tied with rope on Monday. He added: “We have come very close to arresting all the suspects and we will reveal more details soon.”
Another police official said more suspects have been arrested and are being questioned.
The incident has sparked a major public reaction in India, with leaders across the political spectrum condemning the attack. Before leaving the country, the couple was given Rs1m (over £9,500) in compensation, and police released a photo of the husband posing for a photo while receiving the cheque. The photo itself has caused more outrage online.
Speak with The independentAnjula Murmu, a social worker in Dumka who supported the victims, said: “The woman fought vigorously against her preparations but she was overpowered by the men, who raped her repeatedly for almost three hours. She was emotionally shattered but not broken, and expressing her visible trauma is beyond words.”
The couple entered India at the Pakistani border in Amritsar in mid-July and have been traveling across the country for the past six months, Ms. Murmu said.
They are travel bloggers with more than 600,000 followers on Instagram, and had pitched a tent for the night amid a picturesque landscape on Friday, about 400 kilometers from Jharkhand state capital Ranchi.
“Their tent started shaking and they heard voices around 7.30pm when the victim’s male partner started recording a video out of an abundance of caution,” she said.
“He responded with a ‘hello’ and the people outside responded with hello, before having a brief conversation in which they appeared visibly drunk,” said Ms Murmu, who said she had seen the video recording.
The group left but returned with more men and began attacking the tent.
“The moment [the couple] When they came out, they were attacked, with some restraining the man while the others chased the woman, who tried to take a knife from her shoes and even hid in the dark to save herself,” said she.
Struggling to hold back tears as their faces were covered in bruises, the couple posted a video on their Instagram saying they were beaten up by seven men who held knives to their throats and raped the woman while holding her male keep your partner under control.
“Seven men raped me. They beat and robbed us, although not much [were taken] because they wanted to rape me,” she said in Spanish.
‘My face looks like this, but that’s not what hurts me the most. I thought we were going to die. Thank God we are alive,” she said.
Jharkhand Superintendent of Police Mr Kherwar said it was an embarrassing incident and local officials were in touch with the Spanish Embassy and informed them.
“We are disheartened by this shameful incident that occurred in Dumka and we are doing everything we can to apprehend all the perpetrators,” he said.
He said the couple insisted that they did not need to be escorted out of the country, but a police team was sent with them to the Jharkhand border.
The Jharkhand High Court on Monday said it was aware of the case and asked the state government to submit a report on the matter on Thursday.
The compensation amount given to the couple “would be converted into euros and transferred to her husband’s account,” Dumka deputy commissioner A Dodde told reporters.
But the police’s decision to release photos and even a video of the husband being presented with a check was widely criticized online. “As if the tragedy wasn’t shameful enough… now this brazen insensitivity to cameras!” said a user on X.
“What kind of nonsense is this, reducing a woman’s dignity to monetary compensation? It’s like she’s being abused again. And on top of that a photo session!! This is so insensitive. What a shameless display!” said another.
The Spanish embassy said this The independent they were in contact with the couple and provided support.
“The Embassy of Spain remains in permanent contact with Spanish citizens in need, as is the case, and continues to actively cooperate with the Indian authorities. The embassy is very grateful to them for their cooperation,” the report said.
It said it could not provide more details, citing data protection laws in Spain regarding consular matters.
The case has once again put the spotlight on the prevalence of rape and sexual violence in India, despite strict laws that in some cases include the death penalty for rapists.
In 2022, an average of nearly 90 rapes were reported per day in India – meaning one woman was raped every 18 minutes – according to the National Crime Records Bureau, which documented 31,516 rape cases that year. The states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of cases.
Rights groups say the figures could be much higher because many women do not report crimes, while the conviction rate also remains low in the country.
In 2012, the gang rape and gruesome murder of a young woman on a bus in Delhi sparked massive protests across India and forced the government to change the country’s sexual violence laws.