Woman photographer gang-raped in Mumbai: police

Indian Bollywood actresses Shabana Azmi and Sonali Bendre take part in a candlelit vigil in Mumbai on December 29, 2012, after the death of a gang-rape victim from New Delhi. A woman photographer gang-raped by five men in Mumbai is currently in hospital. (AFP)

MUMBAI, (AFP) – Five men gang-raped a woman photographer in India's financial hub Mumbai, police said Friday, stirring memories of a similar incident eight months ago in New Delhi which triggered nationwide protests.

The latest incident took place late Thursday in an isolated part of a central upmarket district of Mumbai where the 23-year-old woman was doing a magazine story on old buildings in the area with a male colleague, a police officer told AFP.

"The men beat up the man, tied him up and raped the woman in a secluded part of the Shakti Mills area," the officer said, requesting anonymity.

The woman is undergoing treatment at a city hospital and has identified two of the accused by their first names, which she heard them calling each other, police said.

Hospital officials were not immediately available for comment, but preliminary reports suggested the victim sustained multiple internal injuries, the police officer added.

In December, a 23-year-old woman was savagely attacked and gang-raped by five men in a moving bus in New Delhi, and later died from her injuries. Her male companion was also beaten.

"A case has been registered but no arrests have been made. Several suspects were pulled up for interrogation," the officer said.

The latest incident comes as a shock to many in Mumbai, which is considered one of India's safest cities for women.

A trial is under way in the New Delhi case, which sparked massive protests and led to a new, tougher anti-rape law.