Woman gang-raped, male friend assaulted near Pune; NCP demands Fadnavis’ resignation

A 21-year-old woman was allegedly raped by three unidentified persons, who also tied her male friend using his own clothes and belt and assaulted him at an isolated place on the outskirts of Pune city, police said on Friday.

Police investigation revealed the three suspects, who were armed with 'koyta' (machetes) and bamboo sticks, took away the woman's ornaments and later raped her. The trio also warned the duo of dire consequences if they revealed about the incident to anyone, said the police.

The horrific incident took place in the Bopdev Ghat area at around 10.45 pm on Thursday and a day later police released sketches of two of the suspects as they intensified efforts to trace the culprits and sought the help of citizens to catch them.

According to the Kondhwa police, under whose jurisdiction the crime occurred, the woman had gone to the locality with a male friend.

"As per preliminary details, the woman and her male friend had gone to the Bopdev Ghat area late Thursday night where three unidentified persons allegedly raped her," said Ranjan Kumar Sharma, additional commissioner of police.

He said the trio first tied the woman's male friend with his own clothes and belt at the crime scene and then took turns to rape her.

The police came to know about the incident at around 5 am on Friday after the woman along with her male friend approached Maharashtra government-run Sassoon General Hospital in Pune city, said Sharma.

Another police officer said when the woman resisted the trio's sexual assault, they threatened to kill her friend.

Ten police teams have been formed to trace the accused, he informed.

"After the accused left the place, the young woman went to her male friend and untied him. Both then reached the woman's house where she lived with her sister. Later, they went to a private hospital in Kothrud, where staff advised them to go to Sassoon Hospital," said the officer.

The woman is traumatised but conscious and gave her statement to the police while recuperating in the government hospital, he said.

The officer said the incident took place at an isolated place and the trio also assaulted the woman's male friend. The area where the crime took place is frequented by visitors, especially couples, in the daytime.

Meanwhile, the police sent a forensic team to the crime spot and deployed a dog squad as part of an investigation to gather clues and trace the accused.

"We have prepared sketches of two of the suspects based on descriptions given by the male friend of the woman," said the official.

The police have provided three mobile phone numbers — 8691999689, 8275200947, and 9307545045 — and appealed to citizens to contact them if they come across any information about the case.

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule slammed Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, alleging he has failed to ensure the safety of women in Maharashtra, and demanded his resignation.

The Baramati Lok Sabha MP termed the gang-rape case in Pune as "horrible" and claimed the law and order situation in the state was deteriorating as crimes and atrocities against women have "increased" under the Mahayuti government.

The Maharashtra police once held the distinction of being the best police force in the country, she said.

"The police force is the same, and it is good. But the problem lies with Mantralaya (state secretariat) as one Porsche comes and knocks people down, the blood samples are swapped, and a drug dealer escapes from hospital," Sule said, referring to the Pune Porsche crash, in which two techies were killed in May.

It is not the police but the leadership that is responsible for these incidents, she said while also referring to an incident in a school in Badlapur town in Thane district, where two minor girls were sexually abused by a sanitation worker.

"I am seeking his (Fadnavis) resignation because action against any crime is not immediate. The home minister has failed on the issue of women's safety, and he should take moral responsibility and resign," Sule added.