All suspects arrested in gang-rape of Spanish travel vlogger in India

NEW DELHI - Police in India have apprehended all suspects involved in last week's gang-rape of a Spanish travel vlogger who was on a motorbike tour with her husband.

Police in the eastern state of Jharkhand had earlier caught three suspects after the brutal assault, which took place on the night of March 1 in the Dumka district.

Another five men have now been arrested, taking the total to eight.

They are in the age group of 18 to 25, police told the media on Tuesday.

The men had tied up the husband and took turns to rape the woman for about two hours after the couple had pitched a tent to spend the night in the Hansdiha area, around 300 km from the state capital Ranchi.

"They had beaten us and robbed us, although not many things (were taken) because what they wanted was to rape me," the woman, a 28-year-old dual Spanish-Brazilian citizen, said in an Instagram post.

"They put a knife to my neck, and told me they were going to kill me," the man said.

The couple left for Nepal on Tuesday and from there they planned to fly to Spain to be with their family.

They plan to continue their world motorcycle trip after fully recovering from the nightmarish experience.

The couple had travelled to more than 60 countries before coming to India.

The Brazilian embassy said it liaised with the Spanish diplomatic mission to help the victims.

The latest gang-rape has once again put the spotlight on sexual violence in India.

An average of about 90 rapes per day were recorded in 2022, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau.

The states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh registered the highest number of rapes.

Many sexual assault cases go unreported as victims often fear social ostracization or reprisals, and the conviction rate remains low.

The Jharkhand High Court has taken suo moto cognisance of the gang-rape.

"A sex-related crime against a foreign woman is likely to bring adverse publicity against the country and thereby tarnish the image of India across the globe," the court said, according to local media reports.

The couple was given one million rupees (about US$12,000) as compensation by the authorities. - BERNAMA