A 22-year-old woman was gang raped by five men in Mumbai on Thursday night while she and a fellow male photojournalist were out on assignment. The pair was taking pictures at an old abandoned mill compound when members of a gang approached them. The gang told the photographers they did not belong in the mill then bound the man with a belt. After the male photographer was tied up the five-gang members took the woman to a remote area close to the mill and repeatedly raped her.
Thursday night's rape angered the city of Mumbai, which is thought to be a safer city for women than the capital. The Thursday rape reminded India of the December 2012 rape of another 23-year-old woman on a bus in the Indian capital. The woman in that case later died from injuries she sustained while one of the gang members drove a bus and the others violently raped her. Close to 7pm on Thursday night the two photographers were on assignment to take photos of the neighborhood in which the mill was located.
According to USA Today when the men initially approached the photographers they asked the pair if they would like help getting inside the mill to take pictures. Once inside the men accused the male journalist of being involved with local crime. When the journalist denied any criminal involvement, police say that is when the gang bound his hands and beat him. While one assaulted the male photographer the other gang members took turns raping the 22-year-old woman. All five men believed to be responsible for the attack have been arrested.
The Mumbai police commissioner, Satya Pal Singh would not give details of the investigation to the media saying it was a "sensitive case." The rape victim was taken to Jaslok hospital following the attack. Her condition is said to be stable. In a statement issued by investigators about the victim, picked up by the BBC the woman was said to have gone "through a minor investigation procedure today [Friday] morning. She had both internal and external injuries."
Mumbai was once considered a safe place for women. Across India the number of rapes reported in India last year is 24,923. At the beginning of August CNN reports a seven-year-old girl was raped while travelling on a train. Lawmakers in India have vowed to come down harder on rape cases. News laws with harsher punishment for rapists and sexual harassment have been implemented.
More From Latin Times
FARC Suspends Peace Talks With Colombia After President Juan Manuel Santos Demands Public Approval Of Accords
Mayan Jaguar Sculptures discovered In El Salvador At Cihuatan Ceremonial Center
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
