Mumbai photojournalist gang-rape: one of five accused arrested
Mumbai: Mumbai Police on Friday cracked the gang-rape case of a young photojournalist, arresting one of the accused within 24 hours of the incident and identifying four others, including two criminals.
However, senior Congress leader Murli Deora said that all five suspects have been arrested. “This case has been cracked. Five persons have been arrested and are in the lock-up,” he had earlier told reporters.
Asked about the condition of the victim, 23, an intern with an English magazine, he said she was ‘composed and stable’. The victim has been admitted to Jaslok Hospital. Preliminary reports suggested that she sustained multiple internal injuries.
Singh said the police are trying to gather ‘clinching evidence’ to ensure that the culprits get maximum punishment for the ‘shocking crime’. The government, he said, would be requested for the case to be tried by a fast track court.
He added that the accused are in the age group of 20 to 22 years and are said to be residing in the nearby localities.
“First of all, what happened in Mumbai is a matter concerning that state. In spite of that, I have spoken to the Mumbai Police Commissioner. The investigation is progressing,” Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters outside Parliament House.
Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said that the Home Ministry has sought a detailed report from the Mumbai police.
“It is an extremely tragic and unfortunate incident that has happened in Mumbai. We have asked a detailed report from the Mumbai police. We have also asked the Mumbai police to take immediate action and to arrest the accused. Strictest punishment should be meted out to these people,” he said.
The 23-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by five men in Parel area in Central Mumbai on Thursday night. The incident reportedly took place at around 8 pm near Shakti Mills in Lower Parel area, when the victim, working with an English magazine, was on an assignment, doing a story on ‘chawl,’ the police said.
The ghastly incident comes off as a stark and chilling reminder of another incident of gang-rape in Delhi on 16 December 2012, wherein, a 23-year old paramedical student was subjected to sexual violence and her companion was beaten up. In Thursday’s incident, the accused tied up the victim’s friend and then took turns to rape her.
In a statement provided to the police, the girl said that the five goons were present in the Shakti Mills compound. They started making lewd remarks and harassed her. When her friend intervened, two of them assaulted him. Three others took the woman inside the dilapidated structure and raped her.
