A second accused in the gang-rape of a 22-year-old photojournalist confessed committing the crime after he was arrested in the wee hours of Saturday from a video parlour in south Mumbai. The city police continue hunt for the three other accused.
The crime branch of Mumbai police arrested Vijay Jadhav, who was hiding at a video parlour near his residence in Mumbai. Jadhav confessed to the Mumbai police that he was among the five accused of gang-raping the 22-year-old.
The police arrested the first accused, Chand Sattat Shaikh alias Mohammed Abdul, on Friday morning. The 19-year-old confessed of committing the crime and helped the police in identifying his accomplices. He also gave information regarding the possible whereabouts of the other accused, reported NDTV.
Three accused at large have been identified as Qasim Bengali, Saleem and Ashfaq, according to the information provided by the detained accused.
The photojournalist working with a magazine in the financial capital Mumbai was raped by five men near the posh Lower Parel area on Thursday evening while she was out on an assignment with a male colleague. She was sexually assaulted while her colleague was tied up. She was taken to Jaslok Hospital for treatment after the brutal incident and doctors had confirmed that she suffered both external and internal injuries but is stable.
The incident, which gave a flashback of the horrific Delhi gang-rape that happened last year, triggered mass protests by journalists and politicians. It elicited strong reactions from the lawmakers who are currently in monsoon session of parliament.
The Mumbai police launched a manhunt for the accused and released sketches of the five suspects on Friday based on the description of the victim. Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh told reporters at a press conference that 20 police teams, including 10 from the Crime Branch, would be searching the city for the accused.
