New Delhi: Four persons were arrested for allegedly raping a woman in Mumbai-bound Pushpak Express, said the police on Saturday (October 9, 2021). The police also said that a search is underway for four other accused.
The hideous crime took place inside Lucknow-Mumbai bound Pushpak Express when it left the Igatpuri station, which is said to be a technical halt station.
Maharashtra | Four persons arrested for alleged gangrape with a woman onboard Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express, search underway for four other accused; further investigation underway
— ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2021
Quaiser Khalid, Mumbai GRP's Police Commissioner, said the alleged crime was committed when the express train was traversing the ghat section.
Reports suggest that eight people entered a compartment of the Pushpak train forcefully and started looting the passengers. The eight accused were allegedly carrying knives with them and looted over 20 passengers. At least five of the passengers sustained minor injuries in the process as well.
After this, the eight accused attacked a woman in her twenties and forced her for oral penetration. According to the Government Railway Police (GRP), the accused raped the woman for over half an hour, till the time the train reached Kasara station, where the passengers raised an alarm.
Giving information about the incident and the action taken by the police, Khalid said in a tweet, "The accused boarded Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express at Igatpuri (Aurangabad Railway district) in sleeper bogie D-2 and started committing the crime through the Ghat area during the night."
"The victim is twenty years old and she has been taken for medical examination by our lady officer. She is fine. We are collecting all evidences. The accused are being questioned by our team. We are checking their previous records," he said in another tweet.
GRP arrested two of the accused at Kasara and the other two were arrested later in the night.
The officials also revealed that they are investigating the background of the accused to figure out if the group had committed a similar crime earlier.
