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05-03-2024
Bureau Report + Agencies
NEW DELHI: Authorities on Saturday said that a touring influencer couple, Fernanda and Vicente, were brutally attacked by a gang of assailants while passing through Dumka district in Indian route to Nepal.
The couple, known for documenting their travels on Instagram to over 140,000 followers, stopped to camp overnight in Dumka when the assault occurred, the Daily Beast reported.
Both sustained severe injuries, with visible bruises on their faces. They tearfully recounted the incident in Spanish in videos posted on Instagram.
“Something has happened to us that we would not wish on anyone,” Fernanda said in the video, “seven men have raped me, they have beaten us and robbed us.”
She added that the attackers didn’t steal many things “because what they wanted was to rape me”.
In another post, Vicente showed viewers his injuries around his mouth. “My mouth is destroyed, but Fernanda is worse than me,” he said, adding that the attackers had repeatedly hit him with a helmet and a rock to the head.
Police said Fernanda reached a patrol van around 11pm and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Pitamber Singh Kherwar, the police superintendent of the district, said they had arrested three people in connection with the attack and were actively searching for more.
The case brought India’s horrifying history of sexual assault to light.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, the nation is among the worst for sexual violence against women; in 2022, there were around 90 reported rapes each day.
However, victim-shaming and a lack of confidence in the effectiveness of law enforcement often result in underreporting of rapes.
In their most recent posts, Fernanda and Vicente said they remained in the hospital with police.
Officers arrived on the scene in the early hours of the morning and arrested three people. Another official mentioned the involvement of seven to eight youths.
Following the assault, the woman was admitted to the Saraiyahat Community Health Centre for medical treatment. The authorities have opened an investigation into the matter.
