Forensic experts investigating the Shakti Mills area
The Mumbai Crime Branch, which is investigating Thursday's gang rape at Mahalaxmi's Shakti Mills compound, said yesterday that the five accused had in the past six months raped two other women and molested another on the same abandoned premises.
During the interrogations, the accused admitted to raping a rag picker who was gleaning plastic waste at Shakti Mills, and a commercial sex worker whom they had brought to the mill and chased away without paying.
On another occasion, they molested a girl who had come to the mill compound with her boyfriend in search of privacy.
The couple, however, managed to run away before the accused could cause more harm.
None of the cases ever came to light until now.
"The same group (of the five accused) used to sit at the spot and play cards. When somebody came, they would threaten, rob, rape or molest them. But as of now we don't have any complainants," said the Crime Branch officer.
The police are busy gathering evidence and conducting medical tests to make the case watertight. They have recorded the statement of another witness who was playing cards with the three accused Kasim Shaikh, Chand Sattar Shaikh and Siraj Rehman before the crime.
"It was around the time they were playing cards that Kasim got a call from (co-accused) Salim Ansari to come to the mill," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy.
A team of the National Commission for Women will visit Mumbai on Thursday and meet all senior police officers here to discuss the case.