Maharashtra: Woman gangraped by 8 on board Pushpak Express train; 4 arrested

The rape took place when the express train was traversing between Igatpuri and Kasara around 8 pm on Friday, according to Government Railway Police (GRP)

A 20-year-old woman was gangraped by eight men on the Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express train in Maharashtra, police said on Saturday. Four people have been arrested.

A 20-year-old woman was gangraped by 8 men on the Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express train in Maharashtra, police said on Saturday. Four people have been arrested. (Representational image)

The rape took place when the express train was traversing between Igatpuri and Kasara around 8 pm on Friday, according to Government Railway Police (GRP).

“The train had just left from the Igatpuri station and was slowing down before entering a tunnel, when the accused boarded the D-2 sleeper bogie. They were armed with knives and leather belts, and started threatening the passengers,” said a GRP officer, who did not want to be identified. The accused then allegedly dragged the survivor to a corner and raped her, the officer said.

Passengers called for help when the train reached Kasara, following which four of the accused were apprehended, police said.

“The victim has been taken for a medical examination... The accused are being questioned by our team. We are checking their previous records,” Quaiser Khalid, Mumbai GRP’s Police Commissioner, tweeted on the microblogging site.

The accused have been identified as Arshan Sheikh (20), Prakash Pardhi (20), Arjun Pardeshi (20) and Kishore Sonawane (25). Police said Pardhi is a resident of Malwani in Mumbai. The other three live in Igatpuri and Ghoti in Nashik.

“A Deputy Commissioner of Police rank officer and a team of Crime Branch are investigating the offence. The total stolen property is estimated at ₹96,390, of which we have recovered property worth ₹34,200,” Khalid said.