A young female journalist was gang raped by a group of five men in Mumbai as her male co-worker was tied down and beaten.
The brutal attack took place on Thursday in Lower Parel, a populated section of Mumbai's business hub, according to USA TODAY. The area is filled with high-end malls, expensive restaurants, and luxury condominiums that overshadow the slums and abandoned mills right beside them.
Five men approached the 22-year-old journalist and her colleague around 7 p.m. as she was taking pictures for an assignment, police officials said. At first they offered their assistance and helped the two access an old, deteriorated building. The situation quickly worsened once the men accused the male colleague of commiting a crime in the local area.
After he denied any criminal involvement, the men tied his hands and separated him from his female colleague who was raped by all five assailants.
Satyapal Singh, Mumbai's police commissioner, said authorites arrested one suspect on Friday that led him to identify the four other men. Police released sketches of the men shortly after, although they declined to release their names. Singh believes they could be drug dealers.
It's unknown who the journalist was working for. She is in stable condition in a hospital.
On Friday evening, a group of 1,000 or so people gathered in South Mumbai to stage a protest following the gang rape. Some, including members of local journalist organizations, wore black armbands and carried signs that said "stop rape" and "city of shame."
The gang rape was also brought up in India's Parliament, where junior Home Minister R.P.N. Singh announced the government requested a report on the attack from the state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is the capital. He said the government proposed for the "harshest" punishment be applied to the criminals that performed the gang rape.
This report of gang rape reflected the tension that erupted following the rape and death of a student in New Delhi last December, which resulted in several protests demanding for stronger protection of women to be enforced.
© 2025 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
