Mumbai, August 23 (PTI): In a ghastly incident, a woman photojournalist was allegedly gangraped by five men in Parel area in central Mumbai on Thursday night, police said.

The incident took place at around 8 p.m. near Shakti Mills in Lower Parel area when the 23-year-old woman, working with an English magazine, was on an assignment, doing a story on ‘chawl’, they said.

She was accompanied by a male friend.

Drawing a similarity with the infamous December 16 gangrape case in Delhi, the men tied up the victim’s friend and raped the woman.

The victim has been admitted to Jaslok Hospital.

Preliminary reports suggested that she has sustained multiple internal injuries, police said.

Dr Taran Gyanchandani, acting CEO of the hospital, said, “We are doing the needful...she is under strict observation. At the moment we can’t say anything.”

A gangrape case has been registered in N M Joshi Marg police station.

The statement of the victim’s friend has been recorded and sketches of the culprits are being prepared, police said.

They claimed the victim has identified two of the accused by their names. The girl told police that two of them were calling each other as Rupesh and Sajid, they said, adding that some drug addicts have been picked up from the area for questioning.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil visited the victim at Jaslok hospital.

“This is a very serious matter. We have taken note of it. The accused will be arrested soon,” Mr. Patil told reporters outside the hospital.

He said Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh has been directed to ensure that the culprits are arrested soon.

In a statement given to police, the girl said the five goons were present in the Shakti Mills compound. They started making lewd remarks and harassed her. When her friend intervened, two of them assaulted him. Three others took the woman inside the dilapidated structure and raped her.