Accused habitual offenders, held for theft earlier

THE police on Monday produced the third accused in the horrific Koppal rape and murder case before the court.

- AMIT S UPADHYE @Koppal

BIBHAS Nayak fought till the end. The 29-year-old youth from Gudripada village in Kandhamal, made all attempts to save the two women - an Israeli tourist and a homestay owner - who were raped near a canal close to Sanapur lake in Koppal, around 25 km from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi - till he drowned on March 6.

Even when he was thrown into the canal by two of the three accused, Bibhas tried to swim back and rescue his fellow tourists. However, he could no longer swim when a large stone thrown by the accused into the water hit him. "That is when, we suspect, he lost his life and drowned in the canal," said Akash Paul, his brother-in-law who brought Bibhas' body from Hampi to Kandhamal on Sunday. His body was found on Saturday, 2 km away from the spot.