The 22-year-old photojournalist of an English magazine, who is undergoing treatment at Jaslok hospital after she was gangraped, has told the police that the five accused raped her six times by threatening her with the sharp pieces of a broken beer bottle.
The Asian Age has in its possession the first statement of the victim that she gave to the police in connection with the gruesome gangrape incident that rocked the nation on Thursday.
The victim, in her statement, said that she had left the office at around 5 pm, along with a 21-year old male colleague, who was also an intern with the same publication since June 2013. The two of them were on photo assignments for their magazine.
Excerpts from the statement:
My colleague and I went to the old and dilapidated Shakti Mills near Mahalaxmi railway station to take photographs. We walked from platform number 1 of Mahalaxmi station to reach the mill. When we reached the dilapidated wall of the mill compound, it was about 5.30 pm. We realised that the place was not safe to go into. At that time two persons came out from inside the mill compound and they told us that there is a safe entrance to the mill a little ahead. As we moved ahead along the wall, we saw a better path leading inside. We went in and started taking pictures.
Accused pretended to be railway men
While we were busy taking pictures those two people, who helped us in by showing a way to enter the mill compound, arrived there along with a third person. The third person (claiming to be a Railway employee) told us humare seth ne apko photo lete dekha hai, aur apko seth ke paas aana padega (our boss has seen you taking photos, you will have to come with us). I told him, main apke seth se baat karti hoon (Let me talk to your boss). But, the man refused and told us to come along with him. I made a phone call to my boss, the head of the photography department, but found his phone busy. Some time later, the boss called back. I told him that some railway people were taking us along with them. Boss told us to leave the place immediately.
They accused my friend of murder
While me and my colleague were walking towards the exit one of the accused stopped my colleague and said that a few days ago a man was murdered here and my colleague was the one who murdered the man. I pleaded with them to let us go but they shouted at me and threatened me. They then took both of us deep inside the mill compound.
We offered them our camera and phone (worth `30,000 each) and begged them to leave us. They just told us to take off our belts. They then tied my friend’s hands with the belt. Two more accused joined the first three accused. Three people stayed with my friend and two took me behind a wall.
Rapists made victim tell mother
‘not to worry’
When I was taken behind the wall my phone rang. It was a call from my mother asking if everything was all right. The accused threatened me to tell my mom that everything is fine. I did what they asked me to. My mother again called me and accused again made me tell her everything was OK. Since it happened twice the accused took my phone and switched it off.
Accused took my pictures and threatened me
One of them then took out sharp pieces of a broken beer bottle and threatened me and forced me to take off all my clothes. He then raped me. All the accused then raped me one by one after threatening to kill my friend and me. The first accused, who had raped me first, again raped me a second time in the end. They took my photographs on their cellphones and threatened me not to tell anything about the rape to my friend or anybody else. Later, they made my friend and me check our bags saying that nothing was stolen from our bags. They then left us on the railway track and moved towards Lower Parel. When my friend asked me what had happened I told him everything and he then contacted my boss and narrated the entire incident. My friend rushed me to Jaslok Hospital in a taxi. While reaching hospital I called up my mother and asked her to reach Jaslok Hospital. The female doctor in the hospital checked me and confirmed that I had been raped.