The five witnesses were two photographers from a national English daily who had clicked pictures of the incident, an Assistant Commissioner of Police who had intervended while passing through the area, a traffic constable and a driver accompanying him.

The statements of the witnesses were recorded before a Special Executive Magistrate inside the high security Arthur Road Jail in central Mumbai where the accused are lodged.

Two NRI women hailing from Gujarat and settled in USA had gone for a special dance show featuring Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu at the hotel accompanied by two males. They were allegedly molested, groped and their clothes torn by a mob of over 70 after exiting from the hotel in suburban Juhu.

A traffic police team led by ACP Amarjeet Singh had intervened and dispersed the crowds. The photographs were published which led to a public outcry in the matter.

"I am a witness in the case and was called for the test identification parade," Singh said but declined to answer questions as to why had he not filed a complaint himself or caught the accused there itself.

All the 14 accused were granted bail by a local court on Friday on furnishing a sureity of Rs 10,000 each.