For Mumbai Gang Rapists, Act Had Grown 'Routine'

Cops say they raped at least 5 others the same way
By Ruth Brown,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 27, 2013 5:06 PM CDT
For Mumbai Gang Rapists, Act Had Grown 'Routine'
Police officials escort an accused, head covered with black cloth, in the gang rape of a young photojournalist in the Indian financial hub of Mumbai, India.   (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

The New York Times delves inside the gang rape of a a 23-year-old photojournalist earlier this year, finding the act had simply grown normal for the five men accused. Police say they had committed at least five other rapes in the same spot, all with a similar MO: spotting what they called "prey," luring her into an abandoned warehouse, then threatening to release footage of the attack if she reported it. And the plan had worked fine so far—until this one woman spoke out. As such, it wasn't until their case drew international headlines that the men realized how much trouble they were in.

"It was exactly like watching a kid in school who has been caught doing something," says the victim's editor, who was present when she identified the suspects. "It’s like a bunch of kids who found a dog and tied a bunch of firecrackers to its tail, just to see what would happen. Only in this case it was far more egregious. It was malevolent, what happened." But according to the report, the men—who were largely unemployed, lived in a slum, and spent most of their days playing cards and drinking—may not have even seen their actions as a serious crime. "It’s just frivolous; they just do it casually," says a Mumbai lawyer who works on rape cases. "There is so much abject poverty. They just want to have a little fun on the side. That’s it. See, they have nothing to lose." Click through for the full report. (More Mumbai stories.)

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