Pune Rural Police Clarify On Lonavala Case: Only One Person Involved in Alleged Rape, Arrested

In a twist in the Lonavala gang rape case, Pune Rural Police have clarified that it was not a gang rape and only one person was involved, and he has been arrested.

Earlier, it was reported that a young woman was reportedly gang-raped in Pune's Lonavala, highlighting the alarming rise in such crimes in the region. According to sources, the incident occurred late last night when the victim was allegedly abducted by a group of men.

However, Rural Police SP Sandip Singh Gill has clarified that the girl sat in the car of her own will after a brief interaction with the accused, and the accused has claimed that the act was consensual.

Earlier, it was reported that the girl was thrown on the roadside, which Gill has denied.

The accused runs a cafe in Lonavala. The girl interacted with him after a fight with her boyfriend in Lonavala, which led to him leaving her behind.

The Pune Rural Police swiftly registered a case following the incident and launched a thorough investigation. In a rapid response, police teams managed to arrest the accused within 12 hours of receiving the complaint in Lonavala.

As the investigation progressed, the initial account of the incident was revised. Gill also told FPJ that a review of CCTV footage and additional questioning of the complainant revealed that only one individual was involved.

Rising crimes against woman

Last year, in October, a 21-year-old woman was gang-raped by three men on the night of October 3 in the Bopdev Ghat area on the outskirts of Pune during an outing with a male friend. The assailants also beat up her friend. All suspects were arrested; however, the 3rd accused was arrested six months after the crime.

While recently, a minor girl was kidnapped and sexually assaulted near Bhigwan on the Pune-Solapur highway while traveling to Pandharpur ahead of Ashadhi Wari. The group of seven, including two families, was stopped by two men on a bike around 4:15 am. They threatened the travelers and robbed a woman of her gold ornaments. During the attack, one of the men dragged away the girl and assaulted her.