04 June,2011 12:09 PM IST | | Poornima Swaminathan
Four teenagers and a taxi driver arrested for allegedly raping victim over the past three months
Four teenagers and a 44-year-old taxi driver have been arrested for allegedly gangraping a minor girl several times in a moving cab over the past three months.
The Dadar police arrested Mahesh Landge, Hitesh Kalokh, Ashin Murudkar, aged 19, Pawan Angre, 18, and taxi driver Anand Landge, all residents of Worli-Koliwada, for raping the 16-year-old girl, who also lived in the same area and was known to the accused.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the crime often took place inside Landge's taxi, at least thrice a week. They would pounce on the girl whenever they got an opportunity on her way to school or private tuition.
Like on previous occasions, the accused forcibly dragged the victim into Landge's taxi on Thursday night and took turns to rape her. And after every incident, they would threaten her of dire consequences if she dared to reveal it to anybody.
When the victim returned home late at night, her parents repeatedly asked her where she was. Finally, she broke down and confided that a group of five people had been sexually assaulting her for the past three months.
"The accused took the victim to several places to rape her. We are trying to ascertain if they fed her with any intoxicating substances," said Dilip Naikwade, police sub inspector, Dadar police station.
The victim was sent for medical examination to Nagpada police hospital. The accused were produced before the Bhoiwada Metropolitan Court, which remanded them to police custody till June 10.
They were booked under sections of gangrape and threatening under the Indian Penal Code. "She had been silently suffering as the accused would tease her and threaten her. Finally, she decided to confide in her parents," added another police official.
Videos too?
The police are probing if the accused took video recordings and photographs of the victim in compromising positions and used them to blackmail and threaten her. The police are also recording the statements of the victim's parents to get more details about the case.
