Koppal (PTI): Two women, including a 27-year-old Israeli tourist, were allegedly gang-raped while stargazing on the banks of Sanapur Lake near Hampi, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred around 11 pm on Thursday when, after dinner, a 29-year-old woman operator of the homestay—where the Israeli tourist and three other male tourists were staying—was sitting by the canal with them, enjoying music and stargazing, they said.

Among the male tourists, one was from the United States, while the others were from Odisha and Maharashtra, police said.

According to the police, in her complaint, the homestay operator alleged that while they were stargazing and playing music near Sanapur Lake, three men on a motorcycle approached them, asking where they could get petrol. When she informed them that there were no petrol pumps nearby, the accused demanded Rs 100.

When she and the tourists refused to give them money, the accused—who spoke Kannada and Telugu—started abusing them. They then allegedly raped her and the Israeli tourist and pushed the three male tourists into the canal, a senior police officer said.

Of the male tourists, two sustained injuries, while the one from Odisha has been reported missing, he added.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered at Gangavathi Rural Police Station under sections related to extortion, robbery or dacoity with intent to cause death or grievous hurt, gangrape, and attempted murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said.

The two women are undergoing treatment at a hospital, police added.

"We have registered the case and identified the suspects. Six teams have been formed, and efforts are underway to nab them," police said. 

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Jammu, May 12 (PTI): Security forces are engaging suspected drones observed along the International Border in Samba district of Jammu region on Monday, an Army said.

This fresh incident of drone activity along the borderline comes barely hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first address to the nation following Operation Sindoor and the meeting of the DGMOs of India and Pakistan.

The Army, however, said there is no need to be alarmed.

“A small number of suspected drones have been observed near Samba in J&K. They are being engaged,” it said.

In the backdrop of the situation, several areas witnessed blackouts in Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, and Jammu.

Lights were switched off at the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi and along its track as a precautionary measure, sources said.

On Monday, talks between the DGMOs were held during which issues related to the continuing commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive or inimical action against each other were discussed, the Indian Army said.

It was also agreed that both sides would consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction along the borders and in forward areas, it added.

The situation remained largely peaceful across Jammu and Kashmir, with no incidents of ceasefire violation reported along the Indo-Pak border Sunday overnight — marking the first calm night after 18 days of hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people — mostly tourists — dead.

India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to cease all firing and military actions on land, air, and sea with immediate effect, following four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes that brought the two countries to the brink of full-scale war.

Eighteen days of intense hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, which brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war, ended with a ceasefire that restored calm along the Line of Control, the International Border, and the hinterland in Jammu and Kashmir. The Army thwarted Pakistan’s Hamas-style kamikaze drone attacks during the escalation.

Since the night of April 24, hours after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistani troops repeatedly targeted Indian positions along the LoC — beginning in the Kashmir Valley and quickly expanding to the Jammu region.

The latest hostilities began in the northern districts of Kupwara and Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley, before spreading southwards to Rajouri, Poonch, Akhnoor, and the Pargwal sector along the International Border in Jammu district. The firing affected five border districts — Baramulla, Kupwara, Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu.

The recent round of cross-border firing further undermined the ceasefire agreement reached in February 2021, which has largely been seen as ineffective due to Pakistan’s frequent violations along the 740-km-long LoC.

The April 22 terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people — mostly tourists — in Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley, triggered a strong response from the central government.

The India-Pakistan border stretches over 3,300 kilometers, divided into three segments: the International Border (IB), spanning about 2,400 km from Gujarat to Akhnoor in Jammu; the 740-km-long Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir; and the 110-km-long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL), which separates the Siachen Glacier region.