Near historical Hampi, a heinous crime Premium

On the night of March 6, 2025, Bibhas Nayak from Odisha was killed and two women — an Israeli tourist and an Indian homestay operator — were gang-raped by three men when they went stargazing at Sanapura lake near Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Karnataka

Trigger warning: This story contains details of rape and murder. Please avoid reading if you’re distressed by the subject

Grief hangs heavy over the church at G. Udaygiri, a town in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, on March 13. Around 2,000 people from across the country have gathered here, each of them carrying memories of Bibhas Nayak. On March 6, Bibhas, a 29-year-old freelancer, died in Karnataka’s Koppal district, close to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hampi, while trying to protect two women from sexual assault and violence.

The last ‘stories’ that Bibhas had posted on Instagram were from the monuments of Hampi, the last capital of the Hindu kingdom of the Vijayanagara empire (14th-16th Century CE), with the caption, “Never been so fascinated by ruins”. Bibhas, whose account reveals his zest for life and love for travel and adventure, had gone to Hampi after visiting Dhanushkodi and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, and Kochi in Kerala. Hampi was the final leg of his south India tour.

“My brother would get into local trains, take buses, and stay under any roof that offered shelter from the rain. He managed his finances carefully, ensuring he could visit as many places as possible,” says Bibhas’ older sister, Bonhomie.

In Hampi, Bibhas, whom his friends describe as “affable”, quickly bonded with fellow travellers — Daniel, 23, from the U.S.; Pankaj, 43, from Nashik, Maharashtra; and Aliza*, 27, from Israel — and Karthika*, 29, who ran the homestay in Anegundi village, Koppal district, where all of them met.

“On March 6, Bibhas went rock climbing. Later, when someone pitched the idea of stargazing, he was excited,” says Akash Paul, Bibhas’ brother-in-law, who has heard the sequence of events from Pankaj and Daniel. “He and his friends went to an area near Anegundi. Three men approached the group, got into an argument with them about money, and started attacking them. When Bibhas and the others tried to stop them, they were pushed into the canal. Bibhas was an expert swimmer, but he couldn’t survive because he had suffered a head injury.”

The attackers allegedly gang-raped Aliza and Karthika at the spot, which is full of rocks and thorny bushes. The crime sent shockwaves through Hampi, a tourist destination which locals say has never seen such a crime in decades.