Woman gang-raped in Cotton Green, 3 held

The Kalachowky police on Tuesday have arrested three persons for allegedly gang-raping a 21-year-old woman on Monday night.

According to the police, the three accused took the woman to a secluded by-lane near Cotton Green railway station and gang-raped her in a stationery truck.

The survivor, a resident of Andheri, was on her way back home after offering prayers at a durgah in Reay Road. As she was waiting for a train at Reay Road station around 10pm, the accused allegedly approached her and tried to pick up a conversation with her. "She ignored them and as soon as the train arrived, she boarded it," said Shekar Tawde, senior police inspector from Kalachowky police station. "The trio too got into the compartment and convinced her to get off at Cotton Green station," he added.

The accused then told the woman to accompany them for tea. They assured her that they would drop her home later, said the police.

"They took the woman to an isolated place outside the station where many trucks were parked. They put her inside an empty truck and gang-raped her," said Tawde.

Later, the accused walked the survivor back towards the Cotton Green station. However, when a watchman manning the area spotted the woman walking with three men, he got suspicious and alerted a police patrolling van. "Our patrolling jeep was taking rounds in the area. The policemen on duty were alerted by the watchman," added Tawde.

The police then brought all the four to the Kalachowky police station where the girl narrated her ordeal. The police immediately sent her for a medical test and arrested the accused.

The accused were produced in the court on Tuesday. "The survivor lives with her aunt in Andheri who does odd jobs for a living. One of the accused is employed with a jeweller," said Tawde.