The Mumbai police on Saturday arrested two more of the five men accused of raping a photojournalist in the Shakti Mills compound at Mahalaxmi. They are Vijay Mohan Jadhav, 18, and Siraj Khan, 25, say police sources. One alleged rapist, whose family now claims that he is a minor, had been arrested a day earlier. Two more, Mohammed Kasim Bangali and Salim Ansari, are on the run.
After participating in the gangrape on Thursday evening, Jadhav and Khan had spent the night in Khan’s home in Dhobhighat, according to a police officer. “Next morning, they left home around 9 am and watched the matinee show of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge at Maratha Mandir,” he said. “After this they went to a video parlour in Madanpura near Byculla to watch another film from 3 pm.”
They went their separate ways after the film, with a plan to meet yet again at night for another movie at the video parlour, but Khan did not turn up. Jadhav was arrested while he was watching the film.
Khan’s luck ran out less than 24 hours later.
Shaikh, who was first to get caught, and Jadhav were produced separately before the Bhoiwada holiday court on Saturday afternoon. Both were remanded to police custody till August 30. Both have been charged with gangrape, criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint and wrongful confinement. Criminal lawyer Majeed Memon said the accused could face terms of 20 years’ imprisonment or life terms.
Investigators suspect that the accused may have committed similar crimes in the past, though those were not reported. Two of the five have served jail terms in the past for theft of railway property, according to sources.
Protesters from the BJP and the Shiv Sena raised slogans at the court where the accused were produced, demanding that the men be hanged to death. The issue also came up in the Lok Sabha. Parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath said home minister Sushilkumar Shinde would make a statement on the matter on Monday.
Speaking at a function in New Delhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi described the incident as a “heinous crime” and said she was saddened by it. Actor Amitabh Bachchan called it an insult to Mumbai.
The Opposition continued to gun for state home minister R.R. Patil, with the MNS led by Raj Thackeray sending bangles to him. Mr Patil is taking a personal interest in the case and visited the N.M. Marg police station to enquire about its progress.
“The probe is heading in the right direction and the other accused will be arrested soon,” police commissioner Satyapal Singh said.