Mumbai gang-rape: Second accused arrested; hunt on for 3 others

Mangalore Today/NDTV

Mumbai, Aug 24: About 24 hours after they made their first arrest in the brutal gang-rape of a 22-year-old photojournalist, the Mumbai Police arrested a second man early today.

A massive manhunt has been launched to arrest three more men in the case, which has sparked a wave of angry protests.

Accused Vijay Jadhav was picked up from the Madanpura area by the Crime branch. The police had yesterday arrested 19-year-old Chand Babu Sattat Shaikh alias Mohammed Abdul. The unemployed man, who lives in a slum cluster close to the Shakti Mills compound where the woman was raped, has named Jadhav and three others - Qasim Bengali, Saleem and Ashfaq-- as his accomplices, police said.

 

 

Of the five accused, three men - Chand Babu Sattat Shaikh, Qasim Bengali and Vijay Jadhav - have previously been booked and jailed for various criminal offences like house breaking, dacoity, robbery and assault.  They were however released on bail.

Police sources say mobile phone records of all the five accused show they were present at the scene of crime on Thursday evening.

According to Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, more than 20 teams, including 10 from the elite Crime Branch, have been set up to track down the perpetrators amid mounting public pressure and anger. The 22-year-old has reportedly told the police in her statement that she will get "some sense of justice" if all the accused are arrested.

Mr Singh yesterday said police was trying to gather "clinching evidence" to ensure that the culprits get maximum punishment for the "shocking crime".

The photojournalist, an intern with an English magazine, was gang-raped by five men on Thursday evening when she and her male colleague went to the deserted Shakti Mills compound in Lower Parel area to click photographs of the decrepit old buildings there.

 

 

Broken beer bottle held over Mumbai gang-rape survivor’s head

Mumbai: When the 22-year-old intern who had been gang-raped by five men in the heart of Mumbai met doctors at the city’s Jaslok Hospital two hours after her barbarous assault, she disclosed that a broken beer bottle had been held over her head by the gang who allegedly took turns at raping her.

Bombay daily Mid-Day says it has accessed her statement to the police in which she has said, "They took my photographs on their cell phones and threatened that if I spoke about the incident to anyone, they would defame me by revealing my identity."

Doctors have told NDTV that the survivor showed great presence of mind and courage in reporting directly to them for a complete medical checkup and statement. They say this helped them collect samples that could be crucial in establishing the guilt of her attackers.

The survivor, from hospital, also helped the police prepare sketches of the suspects. Her male colleague, who was with her when she was gang-raped, has also been working closely with the police in its investigation and led them yesterday to Shakti Mills, where the two were on a photography assignment when they were assaulted by the group of men, two of who have now been arrested. The survivor’s companion was tied up with a belt to ensure he could not help her.

In her statement, the survivor had reportedly also told the police that "there would be some sense of justice if you arrest the culprits."

After the gang-rape, the suspects reportedly escorted the couple to a nearby train station and warned them not to report the case to the police.