The South African model, who was allegedly raped by two youths after she was picked up from a Mumbai pub late last month, has returned to her country to join her family members and undergo psychological counselling, sources said Thursday.
The model -- a person of Indian origin -- had expressed a desire to go back to her country as she was tormented by the incident, and sources said she has promised her lawyer and the police that she would return back soon to pursue rape charges against her alleged rapists, the sources said.
Suresh Krishnani and Sunil Morpani, two youths residing in Ulhasnagar town in neighbouring Thane district were arrested on charges of raping the model, after picking her up in a drunk condition from Avalon pub at Hotel Bawa International in suburban Vile Parle on December 27.
The youths allegedly raped the woman in a car in which they took her to Kalyan in Thane district, and repeated their act at a hotel there, before she was dropped to her home on December 29, the model has alleged.
Morpani and Krishnani, whom she identified to be her assailants in an identification parade held before judicial authorities earlier this month, have admitted to have raped, but denied the model's charge that they drugged her by lacing her drink in the pub with a sedative.
Police have seized a car allegedly used in the crime, while the woman and her belongings were subjected to a thorough forensic examination to gather evidence. The case is now being investigated by Mumbai Crime Branch.
Her lawyer, Falguni Bramhabhatt told PTI that the victim decided to leave for South Africa saying that she needed her family at this juncture. Bramhabhatt said, the model left for South Africa last night and has assured the Mumbai police that she would be back in time to assist the prosecution.
A letter to this effect has been sent by her to the Mumbai police commissioner, the lawyer said. "She has left her telephone number with police and said that if needed she is also available to them through video conferencing," Bramhabhatt said.
To a querry, the lawyer said that none of her family members were present to take her back home. The lady belongs to an affluent family from Durban in South Africa that owns a number of supermarkets and business establishments. A divorcee with two children, the model wanted to make it big in the world of film and had moved to Mumbai after being encouraged by her father to do so, sources said.