Two women, including a 27-year-old Israeli tourist and a homestay owner, were allegedly gang-raped by three men in Karnataka on Thursday night. The incident occurred when they were stargazing near the serene banks of a canal around 11:30 pm in Koppal, about 350 km from tech hub Bengaluru.

The accused pushed three other travellers into the canal before targeting the women. While Daniel, who is from the United States, and Pankaj, a traveller from Maharashtra, managed to come out, Bibash from Odisha is still missing, according to the complainant.

A senior police officer has assured that the accused will be arrested soon.

Police said the women are recovering at a government hospital

“Five people – three women and two men – were attacked near Sanapur. Two of them are foreigners – an American, and another a woman from Israel. The woman said in her complaint that besides being beaten up, the two women were sexually assaulted by the accused,” said Ram L Arasiddi, Superintendent of Police, Koppal.

The homestay owner, 29, said in her complaint that she and the four guests had gone for stargazing on the banks of Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal after dinner when the accused arrived on a bike.

They first asked where they could get petrol and then started demanding Rs 100 from the travellers. On being refused, they attacked the travellers and raped the women, the complaint read. They fled on their motorcycle after committing the crime.

Fire officials and the police’s dog squad are looking for the missing tourist

The women are recovering at a government hospital, but they can be shifted to a private hospital if they want, said police.

Based on the complaint, a police case has been filed under rape, gang-rape, and robbery charges.

Mr Arasiddi said immediate action was taken after women lodged their complaint. The accused are being identified, and two special teams are investigating the case, he said. He said the women have undergone medical checkup to confirm rape.

Fire officials and the police’s dog squad have been looking for the missing tourist since yesterday.