Three Men Gang-Rape Woman After She Knocks on Wrong Hotel Room

In the early hours of a chilling night in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra, a 30-year-old woman employed at a private hospital set out to collect a debt from her friend staying at a local hotel. She arrived at room number 105 without incident, completing her purpose quickly. However, as she departed around midnight, confusion over the dimly lit corridors led her to the second floor. Mistaking room 205 for her friend's, she knocked, unaware of the horror awaiting inside. This simple error plunged her into a night of unimaginable terror, highlighting vulnerabilities in budget hotel security.

Room 205 housed three men—Ghanshyam Bhaulaal Rathod, Rishikesh Tulsiram Chavan, and Kiran Laxman Rathod—deep into a boozy beer party. The trio, locals in their late 20s and early 30s with prior minor records for public intoxication, yanked the door open to find the disoriented woman. Seizing the opportunity, they grabbed her arm and dragged her inside, locking the door behind them. Over the next several hours, they forced alcohol down her throat, mocking her pleas amid their drunken revelry. The assault was savage and prolonged, with the men taking turns in a calculated gang-rape that lasted until the pre-dawn hours.

Around 3-4 a.m., as exhaustion briefly lulled her captors, the victim summoned her strength and fought her way free. She bolted from the room, screaming for help through the hotel lobby, her clothes torn and face bruised. Barefoot and trembling, she flagged down a passing auto-rickshaw and raced straight to Vedant Nagar Police Station, just 2 kilometers away. There, in a tearful statement, she detailed the ordeal, providing clear descriptions of her attackers and the room. Her courage triggered an immediate police response, underscoring the critical role of swift victim testimony in such cases.

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Police sprang into action, treating the complaint as a high-priority POCSO-adjacent case under IPC Sections 376D (gang-rape), 366 (kidnapping), and 342 (wrongful confinement), plus provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act if booze-fueled patterns emerged. Within three hours, officers scoured the hotel's CCTV footage, capturing the woman's entry, the drag into room 205, and her desperate escape. The grainy but damning clips showed the accused's faces clearly, leading to their arrest from the very room as they slept off their stupor. Forensics teams swept the site, collecting beer cans, stains, and fingerprints for DNA matching.

The accused, all day laborers from nearby slums, confessed during interrogation, claiming the alcohol "made them lose control" after the woman "wandered in." Ghanshyam, the ringleader, had a history of domestic disputes, while Rishikesh and Kiran were first-time offenders but habitual drinkers. Remanded in judicial custody, they face life imprisonment if convicted, with fast-track trials promised under new Maharashtra women's safety protocols. The hotel manager was booked for negligence in lacking floor signage and 24/7 security, prompting a statewide audit of similar lodgings.

This incident has ignited outrage across Maharashtra, with activists demanding zero-tolerance CCTV mandates and women's helplines in all hotels. The victim received medical care, counseling, and temporary relocation under the Nirbhaya Fund. Authorities urge women traveling alone to use ride-sharing apps with live-tracking and verify rooms via calls. As the case unfolds, it serves as a grim reminder: one wrong door can shatter lives, but justice moves fast when victims speak out.

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