A 29-year-old model was raped by policemen in Mumbai
Three policemen and a woman are among eight arrested in Mumbai on Wednesday for the rape of a model inside a police station earlier this month. The policemen allegedly also extorted money and gold from her.
The 29-year-old woman sent a text message to Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria on Tuesday, alleging that she had been assaulted inside a police outpost. She told him that she had fled the city after the rape, fearing harassment.
Mr Maria called her to his office on Wednesday and after speaking to her, ordered action. Cases of rape, sexual harassment and extortion have been filed against two assistant police inspectors, a constable and three others. The policemen have also been suspended.
The woman told the police chief that she had gone to a five-star hotel on the suburbs of Mumbai to audition for a film on April 3. When she came out, a police vehicle allegedly pulled up and the men inside threatened to arrest her if she didn't get in.
The woman was allegedly taken to a police outpost in Sakinaka in Andheri in the western part of the city, and raped through the night. The next morning, the policemen allegedly demanded money, around Rs 4.5 lakh, to let her go.
The woman's friend came and paid the money. She told the police chief that her friend went to several ATMs in the middle of the night to get the cash.
The lawyer for the accused argued in court that the woman was earlier booked for immoral trafficking.
But the court order said the "offence becomes aggravated because of the place it allegedly took place in."