A 26-year-old Odisha native was murdered in Karnataka’s Koppal district after he and two others were allegedly pushed into the water by three assailants, who allegedly raped an Israeli tourist and a local homestay owner.
Bibash Nayak from Derabadi village in Kandhamal district, was among three men thrown into the canal on Thursday night when they tried to intervene during the sexual assault. While his companions, Daniel from the US and Pankaj from Maharashtra, managed to escape, Bibash’s body was recovered by Karnataka police on Saturday.
Bibash was working in a hospital in New Delhi, while his parents were staying in Agra, for the last several years. His father, Bijay Nayak, left for Karnataka after getting information about the incident from Karnataka police, sources said. Bijay did not respond to phone calls. Firoj Nayak, a relative of the deceased, said the body is likely to arrive in the village on Sunday for the last rites.
Police in Odisha, however, said they are yet to get any information about the death of the youth in Karnataka. “Neither his family members nor the Karnataka police have informed us about the death,” said Harish BC, SP (Kandhamal).