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Four men have been arrested in India after a Spanish woman was allegedly raped while on a motorcycle tour of the country with her husband.
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 journey across South Asia, shared a video detailing their horrific experiences in India.
The couple, who had visible bruises and injuries on their faces, reported being physically attacked and said the woman was raped by seven men.
“They beat us. They put a knife to my neck and told me they were going to kill me,” the man, whose lower lip was swollen, says in Spanish in the video.
“Something happened to us that we wouldn’t wish on anyone. Seven men raped me. They beat and robbed us, although not often, because they wanted to rape me. We are at the hospital with the police. “It happened here in India tonight,” the text of the video reads.
According to the Times of India newspaper, Dumka police officer Pitamber Singh Kherwar said all the accused had been identified and the four arrested had confessed to raping the woman.
Police said a medical examination of the woman revealed that she had been sexually assaulted and the couple was being treated at a local hospital in Dumka.
The couple were in the middle of cycling through South Asia and had already traveled to Pakistan and Bangladesh. They were on their way to Nepal after entering India via West Bengal, officials said.
They pitched their tents in a semi-forested area about 2 km from the main road. After some time, about seven men entered their tent and attacked them. They also stole their belongings.
The couple stopped a police patrol vehicle around 11 p.m. that same evening and were taken to hospital with injuries.
The Spanish embassy in India is in contact with local authorities and has sent a personal representative to the region, EuroNews reported.
The video of the distraught couple went viral on social media and many people expressed their outrage. One user called it a “shameful and shocking incident” and a “nightmare.”
Bollywood actor Richa Chadha said, “Shameful! Indians treat foreigners like their own wives. It’s a shame for our rotten society.”
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, nearly 90 rapes were reported daily in India in 2022. However, the actual number is likely higher as a significant proportion of cases go unreported due to the prevailing stigmatization of victims and lack of trust in police investigations.
The Independent has contacted the Spanish Embassy in India for comment.