23-year-old photojournalist gangraped in Mumbai, 20 detained

MUMBAI: The Mumbai police probing into the shocking gangrape of a 23-year-old woman photojournalist here has picked up about 20 people for questioning but obtained no leads in the case so far, even as it has formed special teams to investigate into the matter, police said today.

"So far about 20 suspects have been grilled but we could not get any lead. Our efforts are on to track down the accused," a police officer involved in the probe, told PTI.

A special squad has been formed by the local police as well as by the Crime Branch to probe into the case and investigators have fanned out across the city to trace the accused.

The 23-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped by five men in Parel area in central Mumbai last night, police said.

The incident took place at around 8 pm near Shakti Mills in Lower Parel area when the 23-year-old woman, working with an English magazine, was on an assignment, doing a story on 'chawl', they said.

"The victim had gone, along with her friend to the Shakti Mills to take some photographs..it was evening time. And, there the two boys...and based on the statements given by them (others detained in the case for questioning), three more men came, who then raped her," Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh said.

In a chilling reminder of the Decemeber gangrape in Delhi, the men tied up the victim's friend and raped the woman.

In a statement given to police, the girl said 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.