PUNE: Three men gang-raped a 21-year-old event management student from Gujarat when she was out with a male friend late Thursday in Pune. The crime took place near the scenic 'Table Point' at Bopdev Ghat , barely a few metres from a police help centre.
"The trio assaulted her friend (22), a final-year chartered accountancy student, and forced him to remove his shirt and belt brandishing a sharp weapon. They used his shirt and belt to tie him up, before sexually assaulting the woman. The accused took away her silver ring, but returned her friend's mobile phone before leaving," said a senior police officer.
"The survivor and her friend met through a common acquaintance before becoming friends. They had gone to Bopdev Ghat for the first time," said DCP R Raja. The survivor's friend is from a city in north Maharashtra.
On Friday evening, police released the sketches of two of the three suspects based on the description provided by the CA student. "The three men were conversing with each other in Marathi and Hindi, he told us," DCP Raja added.
Bopdev Ghat, about 20 km on the city's outskirts, is a popular sightseeing and trekking destination for college students and others, who go there for morning and evening walks. It has become a hotspot for robberies over the years, mostly during the evening and late-night hours.
Joint CP RK Sharma said the two friends had reached the hilltop point around 11pm and were engrossed in chatting, when the accused reached there on bike(s) around midnight, and committed the crime. The survivor's friend somehow managed to free himself and the two drove down to the city.He called his relatives, and they took the survivor to a private hospital, which referred her to Sassoon General Hospital.Cops were informed about the incident at 5am on Friday. Her condition was now stable and her statement had been recorded, police said.
"We have formed 14 teams comprising officers from the crime branch and the detection branch to identify and nab the culprits. We have detained some individuals for questioning. The forensic and dog squads are helping in our investigation," Sharma said. Police have invoked charges under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including section 70 (1), which pertains to gang rape, besides the Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act.
"The trio assaulted her friend (22), a final-year chartered accountancy student, and forced him to remove his shirt and belt brandishing a sharp weapon. They used his shirt and belt to tie him up, before sexually assaulting the woman. The accused took away her silver ring, but returned her friend's mobile phone before leaving," said a senior police officer.
"The survivor and her friend met through a common acquaintance before becoming friends. They had gone to Bopdev Ghat for the first time," said DCP R Raja. The survivor's friend is from a city in north Maharashtra.
On Friday evening, police released the sketches of two of the three suspects based on the description provided by the CA student. "The three men were conversing with each other in Marathi and Hindi, he told us," DCP Raja added.
Bopdev Ghat, about 20 km on the city's outskirts, is a popular sightseeing and trekking destination for college students and others, who go there for morning and evening walks. It has become a hotspot for robberies over the years, mostly during the evening and late-night hours.
Joint CP RK Sharma said the two friends had reached the hilltop point around 11pm and were engrossed in chatting, when the accused reached there on bike(s) around midnight, and committed the crime. The survivor's friend somehow managed to free himself and the two drove down to the city.He called his relatives, and they took the survivor to a private hospital, which referred her to Sassoon General Hospital.Cops were informed about the incident at 5am on Friday. Her condition was now stable and her statement had been recorded, police said.
"We have formed 14 teams comprising officers from the crime branch and the detection branch to identify and nab the culprits. We have detained some individuals for questioning. The forensic and dog squads are helping in our investigation," Sharma said. Police have invoked charges under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including section 70 (1), which pertains to gang rape, besides the Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act.
