Mumbai gang rape: One arrested, four identified; victim undergoes surgery

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Mumbai, Aug 23, 2013: Acting swiftly, Mumbai Police today cracked the gangrape case of a young photojournalist, arresting one of the accused within 24 hours of the incident and identifying four others, including two criminals, for whom a massive manhunt has been launched.

"We have arrested one of the accused who has named the others involved in the incident. The accused has also confessed to the crime," Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh told reporters.

 

An earlier report attributed to the police had said two accused had been arrested. Senior Congress leader Murli Deora said 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.

Singh said more than 20 teams, including 10 from the Crime Branch, have been pressed into service to track down the perpetrators. The city police chief declined to divulge the identities of the accused lest the probe in the "extremely sensitive" case gets compromised but said two of them were history sheeters with property offences registered against them.

A top police officer, however, identified the arrested accused as Mohammed Abdul alias Chand, while he named others as Vijay Jadhav, Qasim Bengali, Saleem and Ashfaq. 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. A statement from the hospital said, "The patient is with us after the unfortunate incident since last night. As of now, she is stable and Jaslok Hospital is doing its best."

Tarang Gianchandani, acting CEO and director - medical services of the hospital, said, "We are doing the needful...she is under strict observation." Singh said a forensic team has also been pressed into service. He 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. "The incident happened around 6 PM to 6.30 PM when the girl and her colleague had gone to the deserted Shakti Mills compound for a photoshoot," said Singh.
He said the accused are in the age group of 20 to 22 years and are said to be residing in the nearby localities.

Gangraped journalist undergoes surgery, stable
The woman photojournalist who was brutally gangraped Thursday underwent surgery Friday, said a spokesperson for the Jaslok Hospital where she was admitted. The victim, who was gangraped in the deserted Shakti Mills Compound in Mahalaxmi late Thursday, is able to speak though she is still in a state of mental shock.

"She has been under treatment since last night. She underwent a minor surgical procedure today (Friday) and now her condition has improved and stabilized. We expect a speedy recovery," the spokesperson told mediapersons here this evening.

The woman, working as an intern photojournalist with an English magazine, was attacked  along with her male colleague when they were on a late evening assignment inside the sprawling Shakti Mills Compound.

They were confronted by five people who allegedly first assaulted and tied up the male colleague, and later gangraped the woman in thick undergrowth of the mill compound. Police learnt of the incident after the duo reached the hospital where they were admitted for treatment last night.

Claiming to have cracked the case by nabbing one accused and having identified the other culprits, Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh said the others would be nabbed soon. According to Singh, the accused are in their early 20s and live in the vicinity of the abandoned mill.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan announced that the state government will bear all the medical expenses of the victim and extend all possible help to her family.