‘We thought we were going to die’: Travel influencer who was ‘raped by seven men’ in India reveals horrifying details
5 March 2024, 14:02
A travel influencer who was ‘raped by seven men’ while on a motorcycling tour in India has said she thought she and her husband were ‘going to die’ as they were attacked.
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Fernanda, 28, and her husband, Vicente, 63, claim they were attacked by a gang as they were setting up a makeshift tent while they stopped for the night in India's Jharkhand.
The influencer, who is a dual citizen of Spain and Brazil, revealed the horrifying details of the incident in a video posted to her Instagram.
Pictured with bruises on her face, she told her followers: “My face looks like this, but it's not what hurts me the most. I thought we were going to die. Thank God we are alive.
“They thrashed us and robbed us, but their main aim was to rape me.”
The pair, who had been documenting their journey around the world on a motorbike, were travelling towards Nepal from India when they were allegedly attacked.
They reportedly stopped for the night at Dumka district in India's Jharkhand where they set up a tent.
It was after this that Fernada says she was raped ‘by seven men’ and her husband, Vicente, was “brutally thrashed”.
“They put a knife around my neck and told me that they would kill me,” her husband Vicente said in the video.
He also claims his mouth was "destroyed" after he was beaten with a "helmet and a stone".
While Fernanda told her followers: "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 in the hospital with the police. It happened tonight here in India."
Read More: Police issue urgent 'do not approach' warning after woman has chemical thrown in her face
Three men have since appeared in court in India over the incident as they stand on trial accused of rape.
Indian police have said they are still hunting down four more suspects who they believe were also involved in the attack.
The couple appeared in court on Monday and were given £9,500 as compensation, The Telegraph reports.
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."
