Three men have appeared in court on suspicion of raping a travel blogger in India as police launch a man hunt for another four suspects alleged to have brutally assaulted the tourist.
The 28-year-old blogger was on a round-the-world motorbike trip with her husband when they were attacked in Jharkhand state’s Dumka district.
Fernanda and Vicente shared their horrific experience with their 300,000 followers on social media before deleting the video.
The couple - who are from Spain - had visited 66 countries on their motorbike and were camping for the night on their way to the border of Nepal.
The 28-year-old blogger was on a round-the-world motorbike trip with her husband when they were attacked in Jharkhand state’s Dumka district
Instagram
The caption of Fernanda's video, which featured her badly bruised face, read: "Something has happened to us that we would not wish on anyone, seven men have raped me, they have beaten us and robbed us, although not many things, because what they wanted was to rape me.
"My face looks like this, but it’s not what hurts me the most. Thank God we are alive."
Vicente said: "They beat us. They put a knife to my neck, and told me they were going to kill me. Fernanda was raped. Seven of them. Seven men. Sons of b*****s."
Three suspects were seen at a police station with sacks on their heads as officers held ropes tied around their waists.
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Senior local police officer Pitamber Singh Kherwar said: "We have formed a team to hunt the remaining suspects. We have to ensure strict punishment."
The men aged 20 to 30-years-old are accused of having raped Fernanda in shifts.
The bloggers now plan to return to Spain before resuming their trip at a later date.
Vicente said: "Three of the men grabbed Fernanda. I tried to go after her, but the other four started hitting me [...]
“They tied me up and put a knife to my neck. Fernanda is still in pain, but she feels strong enough to take the motorbike and get out of here.
"The plan is to go to Nepal on Tuesday, to Kathmandu. It’s a two-day trip. There we’ll catch a plane to Spain," he told the El Mundo newspaper.
The men aged 20 to 30-years-old are accused of having raped Fernanda in shifts
Reuters
On Monday, the couple received £9,500 as compensation by the authorities in India.
Anjaneyulu Dodde, deputy commissioner of Dumku, said: "We have given him a compensation of one million rupees. We are conducting a thorough investigation and will try to ensure a speedy trial and conviction."
The court heard that the crime against a foreign woman could negatively affect the tourism economy.
It was "likely to bring adverse publicity against the country and thereby tarnishing the image of India across the globe," it said.
