Koppal: The third accused in the tourist rape and murder case in Karnataka’s Koppal district has been arrested, state minister Shivaraj Tangadagi confirmed on Sunday.

The crime, which took place on Wednesday, involved two women, including a 27-year-old Israeli tourist, who were allegedly gang-raped and assaulted while stargazing near Hampi, police said on Saturday.

Tangadagi stated that three individuals were responsible for the crime. Two of them were arrested on Saturday, while the third was caught on Sunday.

"Three people were involved in this horrific crime, which should never have happened. Two were arrested yesterday, and the third was caught today," said Tangadagi, who is also the Koppal district in-charge minister.

He further mentioned that he had instructed the police to strengthen security measures for tourists to prevent such incidents in the future.

According to police, the third accused was arrested in Tamil Nadu, where he had fled after committing the crime.

Earlier, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara stated that on the night of March 6, two foreign nationals, including an Israeli citizen, along with two others, had gone stargazing near the Tungabhadra canal.

Three youths approached the group and asked for directions to a petrol pump. When the tourists expressed their unawareness, the youths robbed them.

One of the tourists had a verbal altercation with the strangers, and in a fit of anger, the men pushed the tourists into the canal. Three of the tourists managed to escape and the fourth from Odisha went missing. Later, Bibash's body was recovered, he said.

PTI