Instagrammer recounts brutal gang rape while visiting India in viral video
An Instagrammer who was documenting her motorbike trip across India was attacked and brutally raped while camping with her husband.
Three men were brought to court today accused of gang-raping the Spanish tourist as the couple released a social media video describing the two-hour nightmare.
The police are still looking for four other suspects, according to reports on Monday. The horrifying attack happened on Friday night in the Dumka district of Jharkhand state, eastern India, where the couple had set up camp.
Fernanda, 31, who is Spanish-Brazilian, and her husband Vincente, in his 60s, bravely spoke about their ordeal. “My face looks like this, but it’s not what hurts me the most. I thought we were going to die. Thank God we are alive,” Fernanda wrote on Instagram.
She earlier revealed in an interview with Spanish TV channel Antena 3 that she was raped in turns for about two hours while others watched. Vincente said in the video: "They held a knife to my neck and threatened to kill me. They raped Fernanda. Seven men. Those sons of b****s."
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Instagrammer recounts horror of getting gang raped in India while camping with her husband (@vueltaalmundoenmoto/Instagram)
The video immediately went viral (@vueltaalmundoenmoto/Instagram)"They raped me, they took turns while some watched and they stayed like that for about two hours," added Fernanda in the interview. Her husand also mentioned that his mouth had been "destroyed" after they hit him with his helmet. Seven men are believed to have carried out this horrific attack.
“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. We are in the hospital with the police, it happened tonight here in India," they wrote on the video as they spoke in the background.
Vincente showed the damage to his face and mouth as he choked up talking about his wife. Wounds on the underside of his lips line his entire mouth. His face is covered in bruises and you can see he has difficulty talking. Meanwhile, Fernanda tearfully talks in Spanish and stares off into the distance, face full of bruises.
Senior local police officer Pitamber Singh Kherwar told AFP: "We have formed a team to hunt the remaining suspects." On Sunday, three accused men were seen being led into court with sacks over their heads by police officers holding ropes tied around their waists. These three men were later kept in custody. The Spanish woman and her husband were also present in court.
Three out of seven alleged perpetrators were caught and taken to court (NST TV)In the video, the couple explained that on their way to Nepal on Friday, they had set up their tent in a dark forest camp in the popular tourist area of Dumka in the eastern state of Jharkhand. They explained that they couldn't find hotel rooms so they decided to camp, which is a normal activity for them.
Vincente shared a terrifying story of being held at knife-point while his partner was attacked. He said: "We are in a hospital in India. The police are here too."
Police in India have vowed to find and try the entire group (NST TV)The couple, who have a big following online, started a dream journey five years ago to travel the world on motorbikes. They've visited 66 countries and travelled over 170,000km so far. They also said the group took their money and a ring after they beat them.
"We have to make sure they get punished," Kherwar said, according to news reports. He said a special team is looking for clues at the place where it happened, and another team is looking for more suspects.
The woman showed her bruised face to the camera as she tearfully explained what happened that night (@vueltaalmundoenmoto/Instagram)"They are constantly raiding places," Kherwar said in PTI's report. "We will soon arrest the remaining accused," added the police chief.
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In 2022, nearly 90 attacks on women were reported every day in India, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau. Despite the fact that these incidents are well-known, they continue to happen.
The world was shocked in 2012 when a group of men attacked an Indian student on a bus. Jyoti Singh, who was studying to be a physiotherapist, was only 23 when she was attacked and left to die by five men and a teenager on a bus in New Delhi in December that year.
The two had posted photos from all over India on their Instagram, before the incident happened (@vueltaalmundoenmoto/Instagram)Singh's death led to weeks of protests and eventually a change in the law. The penalty for gang rape is death - but it's a hard crime to prove.
In 2022, a similar incident happened, even with authorities claiming to crack down on sexual crimes. Police arrested 11 people after a young woman was horribly gang raped and tortured by the group in a story that made international headlines.
Also in 2022, a police officer in India was arrested after he was accused of attacking a 13 year old girl who had gone to his station to report a group had attacked her.
The couple also showed up in court to face their attackers (@vueltaalmundoenmoto/Instagram)Many such attacks are not reported because people feel ashamed or don't trust the police to help. It's also rare for attackers to be punished because court cases can take years in India's busy legal system.
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