Spanish woman raped during motorbike tour of India with husband

Victim of alleged sexual assault shares video saying she was attacked by seven men

Four men have been arrested in India after a Spanish woman was allegedly raped during a motorbike tour of the country with her husband.

The woman and her husband were attacked on Friday night in the Dumka district of India’s eastern state of Jharkhand, where they had pitched their tent for the night.

The couple, who run an Instagram page documenting their journey by motorbike across south Asia, shared a video detailing their horrifying experience in India.

Demonstrators paint a floor mural to protest against rape in India (AFP via Getty Images)

The couple, bearing visible bruises and injuries on their faces, recounted being physically assaulted 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 has happened to us that we would not wish on anyone. Seven men have raped me. They have beaten us and robbed us, although not many things because what they wanted was to rape me. We are at the hospital with police. It happened tonight here in India,” the text on the video said.

Dumka police officer Pitamber Singh Kherwar said all the accused have been identified and the four arrested have confessed to raping the woman, according to the Times of India newspaper.

Police said a medical examination of the woman confirmed she was sexually assaulted, and the couple are being treated at a local hospital in Dumka.

The couple were partway through the biking tour across south Asia and had already travelled to Pakistan and Bangladesh. They were heading for Nepal after entering India through West Bengal, officers said.

They pitched their tents in a semi-forested area, some 2km away from the main road. After some time, around seven men entered their tent and attacked them. They also robbed them of their belongings.

The couple stopped a police patrol vehicle at around 11pm the same night and were taken to a hospital after being found with injuries.

The Spanish embassy in India is in contact with the local authorities and has sent a personal representative to the region, reported EuroNews.

The video of the distressed couple has gone viral on social media with many people expressing outrage. One user called it a “shameful and shocking incident” and a “nightmare”.

Bollywood actor Richa Chadha said: “Shameful! Indians are treating foreigners like they treat their own women. Shame on our rotten society.”

In 2022, close to 90 rapes were reported daily in India, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau. However, the actual number is likely higher, as a significant portion of cases remains unreported due to a prevailing stigma surrounding victims and a lack of trust in police investigations.

The Independent has reached out to Spain’s embassy in India for comment.