MUMBAI: A 20-year-old woman who came in search of her husband on Friday was allegedly raped thrice in her first 24 hours in the city by three men on the pretext of helping her. Police have arrested two of them. The horror could have continued if a youth had not tipped off the police.

On arrival, the woman from Nepal went to her husband's former employer, who took her to his purse-making workshop promising shelter. He raped her and left her at a park. One of his employees then took her to a lodge and raped her. Once out of his clutches, she called up a relative, who asked a friend to put her in a safe hotel. The friend took her to a Kamathipura lodge and raped her repeatedly before the police arrived and arrested him. The purse manufacturer has also been held.

20-year-old was searching for her husband

Afsana's (name changed) ordeal would have continued but Nagpada police got a tip-off that a girl was brought to be sold in the red light area. Police's search ended Saturday morning at the A1 lodge at Kamathipura. Police rescued the victim and arrested the accused identified as Parvez Shaikh .

At the police station, the victim broke down and narrated her horrific ordeal that began as soon as she arrived the city. Police also arrested Zulfikar Shaikh , owner of a purse manufacturing unit, her husband's former employer, who raped her on the pretext of giving shelter. Police are looking for Feroz Shaikh, Zulfikar's employee, who also raped her.

"It's a sad incident, the victim was fooled and raped by persons known to her," said Praveen Salunkhe , additional commissioner of police (central region). Asked if she raised an alarm while being taken to the two lodges, senior police inspector of Nagpada, Vinayak Savde said, "We will call the lodge staff to find out why they did not raise an alarm when the accused brought the victim.''

Afsana told police she was married to Naushad in Nepal but was unhappy and wanted a divorce. Naushad left home to avoid paying compensation, and told her he was in Mumbai. On Friday she reached CST station at 3am, took a taxi to Madanpura and knocked at Zulfikar's workshop, asking for Naushad. He said Naushad was not there and allowed her inside his 10x10 sq ft workshop where a 15-year-old boy was sleeping. Zulfikar then allegedly raped her. Afsana said she was too scared to shout but repeatedly tried to awake the boy but he was fast asleep. Later, Zulfikar dropped her at Baby Garden. There she met Feroz, Zulfikar's employee . He promised to take her to Naushad, but raped her instead. She called a relative, Afsar Shaikh , from a PCO. He bought her a train ticket but she missed the train. Afsar asked his employee Parvez to put Afsana in a hotel for a day. But Parvez instead took her to A1 lodge in Kamathipura and raped her, police said.