Woman gang-raped in Virar forest, boyfriend assaulted

The couple were spotted by the two arrested accused, identified as Dheeraj Soni (25) and Yash Shinde (24). The duo then approached the couple and seeing them hugging, the men cornered the couple and initially tried to extort money from them, said a police officer from Virar police station.

Mumbai: A 20-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped and her boyfriend assaulted by two men in Virar east, police said on Thursday.The incident took place around 5pm on Wednesday in the forest area of Virar East where the woman was sitting with her boyfriend.

After sexually assaulting the woman, the two men fled from the spot with the man’s clothes and his mobile phone. “The survivor was scared and as soon as she saw the men leaving, she too fled the spot. Her boyfriend was lying unconscious,” the officer added. (Image for representation)

The couple were spotted by the two arrested accused, identified as Dheeraj Soni (25) and Yash Shinde (24). The duo then approached the couple and seeing them hugging, the men cornered the couple and initially tried to extort money from them, said a police officer from Virar police station.

The police officer further said that since the man did not have money, he transferred an amount of ₹500 through internet banking to the accused. But the men wanted more money and began assaulting the boyfriend. On retaliating, the men broke a glass bottle, which one of them found lying around, on the boyfriend’s head.

The accused duo then stripped the boyfriend and raped the woman in front of him. “The woman’s boyfriend was without clothes and injured and could not stand up to the men. The two took turns to rape the woman,” said the officer.

After sexually assaulting the woman, the two men fled from the spot with the man’s clothes and his mobile phone. “The survivor was scared and as soon as she saw the men leaving, she too fled the spot. Her boyfriend was lying unconscious,” the officer added.

The man regained consciousness around 6.30pm and looked around for rags to cover his body. “As he came out of the forest, some local residents of Sinath Nagar spotted him. The locals informed the police about him, as he was bleeding from his forehead,” said the officer.

The police recorded the man’s statement and found his girlfriend’s house where the survivor narrated her ordeal to them. “Based on her statement we have registered a case of gang rape, unnatural sex, assault, extortion, threatening against the two accused under sections 376(d), 324, 377, 384, 504, 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code,” said the police officer.

The officers added that as the accused had fled with the boyfriend’s phone, they traced its location and arrested the accused on Thursday from the Chandansar area in Virar East. “We have arrested the accused and will produce them in court on Friday,” said Rajendra Kamble, senior police inspector of Virar police station.