Police seek photos of earlier survivors from phones of 5 accused

The Mumbai crime branch investigating the gangrape of a 22-year-old photojournalist will be requesting experts to try and recover the photographs of the three previous survivors who were molested or gangraped by the accused at the Shakti Mill compound in Mahalaxmi in the past six months.

The Mumbai crime branch investigating the gangrape of a 22-year-old photojournalist will be requesting experts to try and recover the photographs of the three previous survivors who were molested or gangraped by the accused at the Shakti Mill compound in Mahalaxmi in the past six months.

Sources in the crime branch said they had already recovered the mobile phone of two of the accused of which one was used to click pictures.

Apart from trying to retrieve the photograph of the survivor who was gangraped on August 22, the police would try to recover the photographs of others as well. The other victims include a couple who had come for privacy in the mill compound, when the girl was molested. A rag picker was also gangraped by the accused.

The third victim was a commercial sex worker, whom the accused gangraped and refused to pay up, sources said.

The accused, during questioning, admitted to committing the crimes, but since there is no complainant or corroboration, police are trying to trace the victims.

“The five accused have used this method for the past six months and they have committed similar crimes at Shakti Mill. However, the incidents were not reported as the victims did not file police complaints,” a source said.

Police are now trying to trace the past victims to strengthen their case against the accused.