mumbai

Updated: Apr 25, 2015 11:24 IST

With the arrest of two men, the number of those held in connection with the robbing and rape of a 29-year-old model at a police outpost at Saki Naka in Andheri on April 3 reached eight on Friday. Six people, including three policemen, were arrested in the case on Thursday.

While Tanvir Hashmi, 31, and Sanjay Ronge, 34, were arrested on Friday, assistant police inspectors Sunil Khapte and Suresh Suryavanshi, police constable Yogesh Ponde, and the three others — Javed Shaikh, 35, Ibrahim Khan alias Ibbu, 42, and Ayesha Malviya, 24, were arrested the previous day.

A case of rape, molestation, extortion and assault was registered at the MIDC police station, after the model messaged her ordeal and met Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria.

According to the complaint, the arrested police officials, dressed in civil clothes, were waiting in a private SUV outside a hotel. Around 12pm on April 2, the woman went to meet a businessman inside the hotel, but was not allowed to enter the premises, as she did not have identification proof. The model then called the man she was supposed to meet, who asked her to come to his hotel room, after making the necessary arrangements with the hotel authorities. Finding it suspicious, the woman called her friend, who came on a bike within five minutes. As the woman left the hotel premises, the police surrounded her, and took the model, along with her friend, to the Saki Naka police station, claiming they were involved in a prostitution racket.

The woman’s friend was taken to the detection room on the second floor of the police station, while she was taken to the Sangarsh Nagar outpost by Khapte. He allegedly raped her between 4am and 6am and later robbed her of her valuables, including a high-end wristwatch and ornaments worth Rs4.98 lakh. According to crime branch officials, Javed, Ibrahim and Ayesha came up with the plan, to extort money from the model by threatening to book her under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act. Ayesha, who posed as a police constable, accompanied Khapte and stood outside the police outpost to keep a watch, said officials.

Khapte then asked the woman to call her friend and arrange for money. The friend, who worked with former minister of state for home and sitting MLA Naseem Khan, called Khan’s son for help. The woman also called his friend in Indore to arrange for the money. When both could not help her, the man called his mother, who then deposited the money in his account. He withdrew Rs4.35 lakh from a local branch at Sakinaka on April 3, and then allegedly gave it to the accused police officers.

Khan said, “My son had received a call from him. But the man did not call me . Despite that my office members contacted the police station, and asked the duty officer if such a man was arrested or detained, but the duty officer denied the arrest. I condemn the incident.”

Rakesh Maria said, “The crime branch will submit a report within 48 hours. The report will give details on the complicity of the accused as well as the lapses on part of other police officers. “

Read:Mumbai: 3 cops held for allegedly raping, robbing 28-year-old model