The police has found the man they describe as the “most depraved” among the five who assaulted a young photojournalist and her male colleague and raped her. The incident took place two days back on Thursday evening around 8 p.m in a deserted mill. Kasim Bengali, in his late twenties and the eldest of the five accused, was picked up by the police from the Mumbai suburbs this morning. He allegedly was the most violent of the attackers and raped her twice. “If he is guilty, he should face the law. But if he’s not, help us prove he’s innocent,” his mother Chand Bibi said.
The five gang-raped the 22-year-old at Shakti Mills Compound in Lower-Parel on Thursday evening, triggering anger across the country. The sketches made, based on the inputs from the photojournalist and her male colleague, were released to the public on Friday.
Four of the five suspects have been arrested.
Kasim’s mother said he returned home at around 9 pm on the day of the rape and went to sleep. Two hours later, he left hurriedly after receiving a call from a policeman who later told Chand Bibi, “How long can he run? One day we will catch him. Where is he?”
The woman’s friend was tied up with a belt by the gang while they took turns to rape her. A beer bottle was held over her head as the men took turns, she has said in a statement to the police. The survivor also said that she wants to start working again.
After the attack, the gang took the couple to a nearby train station to ensure they would not go directly to the police. The victim and her friend called a senior executive at their workplace for help, who rushed to the station and then took them to the nearby hospital. The woman is now recovering from internal and external injuries.
