<p>The First Additional District and Sessions Court on Monday awarded death sentence to three people convicting of raping an Israeli tourist and a homestay owner and murdering a tourist from Odisha, near Sanapur lake in the taluk, last March. </p><p>The court convicted Mallesh (Handimalla), Saikumar and Sharanabasavaraj, residents of Sainagar in Gangavathi, in the gangrape case and the murder, sentencing the trio to death.</p><p>The court had found them guilty on February 7 and reserved its order on the quantum of punishment for Feb 16. </p><p>According to Public Prosecutor Nagalakshmi, the homestay operator had taken the Israeli woman and three other male tourists, including Bibhas from Odisha, to Sanapur lake for skygazing on the night of March 6, 2025. The convicts approached the group of tourists and picked a fight with them. They pushed the male tourists intoto the Tungabhadra Left Bank canal and gang-raped the Israeli tourist and the homestay operator.</p>
