Spanish woman raped with husband during motorcycle tour through India

Four men were arrested in India after a Spanish woman was allegedly raped with her husband while on a motorcycle tour through the country.

The woman and her husband were attacked on Friday evening in Dumka district in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, where they had pitched their tent for the night.

The couple, who run an Instagram page documenting their motorcycle trip through South Asia, shared a video describing their horrific experience in India.

The couple, who had visible bruises and injuries to their faces, reported physical attacks and said the woman was raped by seven men.

“They beat us. They put a knife to my throat and said they were going to kill me,” the man, whose lower lip was swollen, says in the video in Spanish.

“Something happened to us that we wouldn’t wish on anyone. Seven men raped me. They beat us and robbed us, but not much because they wanted to rape me. We are in the hospital with the police. It happened here in India tonight,” says the text of the video.

Dumka police officer Pitamber Singh Kherwar said all the accused had been identified and the four arrested had confessed to raping the woman, according to the Indian Times Newspaper.

Police said a medical examination of the woman confirmed sexual abuse. The couple is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital in Dumka.

The couple were on a cycling tour of South Asia and had already travelled through Pakistan and Bangladesh. They were on their way to Nepal after entering India via West Bengal, the officials said.

They had pitched their tents in a semi-wooded area about 2 km from the main road. After some time, about seven men entered their tent and attacked them. They also robbed them of their belongings.

The couple stopped a police patrol car around 11 p.m. that same evening and were taken to hospital with injuries.

The Spanish Embassy in India is in contact with the local authorities and has sent a personal representative to the region, reported EuroNews.

The video of the distraught couple went viral on social media, with many people expressing their outrage, with one user calling it a “shameful and shocking incident” and a “nightmare.”

Bollywood actor Richa Chadha said: “Disgraceful! Indians treat foreigners like their own women. Shame on our corrupt society.”

In 2022, nearly 90 rapes were reported daily in India, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. However, the actual number is likely to be higher as a significant proportion of cases go unreported due to the prevailing stigma against victims and lack of trust in police investigations.

The Independent has contacted the Spanish Embassy in India for comment.