Bopdev Ghat Gang-Rape Case: What Pune Police Have Revealed So Far

A 21-year-old woman hailing from Gujarat was allegedly raped by three unidentified persons in Pune's Bopdev Ghat area late on Thursday night, officials said. Her male friend, who belongs to Jalgaon, was also assaulted and later tied to a tree using his shirt and belt, they added. Meanwhile, the police on Friday evening released sketches of two of the suspects as they intensified efforts to trace the culprits and sought help from citizens to nab them.

According to an official, "The victim woman is doing an event management course, and her male friend is a CA student at a prominent college in the city. They met through a common friend and on Thursday decided to go to Bopdev Ghat, from where one could see the entire city view at night." "The three accused reached the spot carrying sharp weapons and threatened them. First, they beat up the male friend and tied him to a tree. They then dragged the woman to an isolated area and gang-raped her. This happened around 11pm," he added.

"At around 1:30am, after the accused left the crime scene, the victim woman rescued her male friend who was tied to a tree. They then informed their friends about the horrific incident. Initially, the victims went to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital. However, after learning about the incident, the hospital authorities asked them to go to the state-run Sassoon General Hospital. The Sassoon Hospital staff then informed the police at 5am about the incident," the official said.

Meanwhile, the search for the accused is underway, and 14 teams of the Crime Branch, Detective Branch, forensic team, and dog squad have been formed for the search and arrest of the accused.

Additionally, the police informed that the accused were talking in Marathi amongst themselves; however, they spoke in Hindi with the victims.

A case has been registered at the Kondhwa Police Station against unidentified individuals under sections 70(1), 126(2), 115(2), 309(6), 352, and 351(2) and (3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as sections 4 and 25 of the Arms Act and sections 37(1) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.