Warning: Graphic descriptions of sexual violence.
A scenic day of travel in India turned into a nightmare for a touring influencer couple who were brutally attacked by a gang who allegedly took turns raping the woman, local police said Saturday.
Fernanda and Vicente, who document their world travels on motorcycles for an audience of more than 140,000 Instagram followers, were on their way to Nepal through the Dumka district of India when they were brutally attacked. They had stopped in Dumka to camp in a tent overnight, multiple outlets reported.
In videos posted on Instagram, the couple appeared with swollen, purple bruises on their faces and began crying as they recounted in Spanish what had happened to them.
“Something happened to us that we wouldn't wish on anyone,” Fernanda said in the video, “seven men raped me, they beat us and robbed us.” She added that the attackers didn't steal many things, however, “because They wanted to rape me.”
According to local reports, police said Fernanda reached a patrol car around 11 p.m. and was taken to the hospital for treatment. Pitamber Singh Kherwar, the district police commissioner, said they had arrested three people in connection with the attack and were actively searching for others.
In another post, Vicente showed viewers his busted lip and the stitches around his mouth. “My mouth is destroyed, but Fernanda is worse than me,” he said, adding that the attackers hit him repeatedly on the head with a helmet and a stone.
The case shone a spotlight on India's appalling record of sexual violence. The country is considered one of the worst countries for sexual violence against women, recording nearly 90 reported rapes per day in 2022, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. However, rapes often go unreported due to victim shaming and low confidence in law enforcement outcomes.
In Fernanda and Vicente's final posts on Saturday, they said they remained at the hospital with the police. The investigation is ongoing.