Three men in India have appeared in court after being accused of gang-raping a travel vlogger on a round-the-world trip with her husband.
Police are also searching for four other suspects believed to have been involved in the violent assault.
Victim Fernanda, 28, and her husband Vicente, 45, were attempting to visit every country in the world on motorbikes, and were documenting the journey to their 300,000 followers on social media.
The couple, from Spain, were making their way to Nepal from India when they stopped and made a makeshift camp for the night in the Dumka district in India’s Jharkhand.
However, shortly after settling down for the evening, they were spotted by a group of men who attacked Vicente and sexually assaulted Fernanda.
In a heartbreaking video posted after the attack, Vicente said his mouth had been ‘destroyed’ by the assailants, who also robbed the pair and used a helmet and a stone to beat him.
Fernanda, who appeared in the video with visible bruises on her face, said despite the robbery it was clear ‘their only intention was to rape her’.
She later told Spanish media: ‘They raped me, they took turns while some watched and they stayed like that for about two hours.’
The suspects are thought to be between 20-30 years old and are accused of assaulting Fernanda in shifts.
On Saturday, Police Superintendent Mr. Kherwar revealed that one of the apprehended individuals had provided the names of other people allegedly involved. A forensic science laboratory is assisting them with the case, he added.
According to the Telegraph, a judge awarded the couple around £9,500 compensation for the assault.
Anjaneyulu Dodde, deputy commissioner of Dumku, said: ‘We have given him a compensation of one million rupees. We are conducting a thorough investigation and will try to ensure a speedy trial and conviction.’
The attack has sparked outrage in India, prompting many women to share their experiences of sexual violence on social media, as well as their frustrations over how it is dealt with.
The couple, known as @vueltaalmundoenmoto on Instagram, have been on a mission to travel across the globe for the past five years. Their bio states they have covered 170,000 km together, visiting 66 countries.
They are now planning to return to Spain, where they live, before resuming their trip at a later date.
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