Travel influencer couple on horror India gang rape and Taliban interrogation during epic 6-year motorbike trip

Fernanda, 28, and her husband Vicente, 63, open up about their gang-rape ordeal in India earlier in March

‘I don’t regret anything about our journey,’ Fernanda says of their motorbike trip that has taken them through 67 countries and which they intend to continue

6-MIN READ6-MIN

Travel influencers Fernanda (right) and Vicente take a break in Spiti Valley, in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, during their six-year motorbike trip. The couple open up about Fernanda’s gang rape in India and other experiences during their trip, including being interrogated by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Photo: Instagram / @vueltaalmundoenmoto

Published: 7:15am, 19 Mar 2024Updated: 3:26pm, 19 Mar 2024

Corrected [8:09am, 19 Mar, 2024]

[8:09am, 19 Mar, 2024]
This is not the first interview the couple have given about their ordeal in India. A previous version of this story said four men are now on the run. That number has been revised to five. Fernanda was gang-raped by eight men.

In India, a rape takes place every 15 minutes, according to government figures. It is so common that many cases go unreported and few make the news.

But when a Brazilian-Spanish influencer was gang-raped in India earlier this month while camping during a motorbike trip, it ignited public outrage and debate on social media not seen on the subcontinent since the New Delhi bus gang-rape of 2012, and made headlines around the world.

Indian police – known for their inaction over, and even involvement in, sexual crimes – in this instance acted fast to quell the negative publicity. Three suspects have been arrested, with five on the run, all of whom face life behind bars if found guilty.

The victims, 28-year-old Fernanda and her Spanish husband, 63-year-old Vicente, who was hit several times in the head with a helmet, are now back in Spain.