( CNN ) -- Three men were sentenced to death Friday for the gang rapes of two women in the Indian city of Mumbai last year , public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said . The men -- Vijay Jadhav , Mohammad Qasim and Salim Ansari -- were sentenced to die under an amended Indian law that sets death as the maximum sentence if convicted of more than one sexual assault , according to Nikam . The three were found guilty of gang-raping a telephone operator a month before attacking a photojournalist in a deserted Mumbai mill in August . Five people , including a young boy , were involved in the photojournalist rape case , Nikam said . One of them has been sentenced to life in prison , while the youngest is facing a trial before a juvenile justice board . Those convicted can appeal their sentences to a higher court . Violent crimes against women have been in the spotlight in India since a 23-year-old woman was raped and beaten by several men on a bus in December 2012 . The victim later died in a Singapore hospital . The shocking attack provoked outrage across India , leading to calls for improved safety and treatment of women . Since then , the Indian media have intensified their focus on rape cases . Attacks against foreign women have also been reported . The 2012 case prompted lawmakers to change statutes to fast-track the arrest and questioning of anyone implicated in a rape . INTERACTIVE : The girl whose rape changed a country .
The gang rapes took place in Mumbai . A December 2012 rape provoked outrage across India . The 2012 case prompted new statutes fast-tracking arrests in rape cases .