The Nehru Nagar police on Tuesday arrested four men who allegedly raped a 33-year-old woman while she was on her way to Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) on Monday. They also robbed the victim of her jewellery and cash before fleeing.
According to the Nehru Nagar police, the victim, a resident of Worli, had to catch a train to Madhya Pradesh after midnight. She took a train to Kurla station at 11 p.m. and was walking to LTT when she stopped in a bushy area to relieve herself.
A police officer said, “Two of the accused, Sonu Tiwari and Nilesh Baraskar, accosted her and forced themselves on her. The duo work at Kurla station and we suspect that they followed her from the station. The victim’s muffled cries attracted the attention of Siddharth Wagh and Shrikant Bhogle, who joined in sexually assaulting her.”
The officer said the accused took turns to rape the victim and left after snatching her jewellery and ₹2,800 in cash. The victim then managed to dial the Mumbai Police’s helpline number and the nearest patrolling unit was diverted to the spot. Additional units were rushed for backup.
The officer said, “Based on a description given by the victim, the first team to respond fanned out in the area to nab the accused. One official stayed back with her. Mr. Tiwari and Mr. Baraskar were nabbed within 30 minutes. Based on their questioning, Mr. Wagh and Mr. Bhogle were nabbed.”
The accused have been charged with gang rape, forcible unnatural intercourse, outraging a woman’s modesty, assault and robbery under the Indian Penal Code.
The police said Mr. Tiwari carries out odd jobs at Kurla station, while Mr. Baraskar works at a stall that sells cool drinks. Mr. Wagh is an autorickshaw driver and Mr. Bhogle works as a delivery boy in the area.
The officer said, “All the four accused are friends. Mr. Wagh and Mr. Bhogle were on the other side of a compound wall close to the spot where the victim was being assaulted. They jumped over the wall on hearing her cries. Once they saw what was happening, they decided to take advantage of her.”
