Pune: With few clues to start from, Pune Police had formed 60 special teams to track down the perpetrators involved in the horrific Bopdev Ghat gang-rape case.
What followed was a methodical and determined investigation that unraveled the case step by step. The identification of three suspects, and arrest of one of them from Pune, came after a high-stakes chase and meticulous detective work.
According to police, the arrested suspect is 25-year-old. He worked at a pav bhaji stall in Kondhwa. All three accused are friends, and they have criminal backgrounds, with previous cases registered against them by the rural police.
"The accused used to do odd jobs for their livelihood. They had come to Pune from Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) to commit robberies. On the night of the incident, at around 10 p.m., they switched off their mobile phones before entering the Bopdev Ghat area.
They consumed alcohol in an isolated spot in the ghat area and were planning to commit robbery. At that moment, they saw a young man and woman sitting alone.
Finding no one around, they assaulted the couple and, under the threat of a machete, gang-raped the woman,” informed Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Friday (October 11).
After assaulting the woman, the accused descended from Bopdev Ghat. They halted for about half an hour at one spot before proceeding further on a two-wheeler.
They avoided the main road and took a less-travelled road to Shindewadi, located along Pune-Satara Highway, and then proceeded via a back route. The accused were familiar with the area because they had previously committed robberies there. They were also aware of the locations of CCTV cameras.
The gang rape occurred on the night of October 3 in the Bopdev Ghat area, where a college student was assaulted while she was out with a friend. Initially, no leads were available in the case.
The police carried out a technical investigation by gathering information about mobile users who passed through the Bopdev Ghat area. With the help of CCTV footage from a liquor store and informants, police were able to apprehend one of suspect.
Footage from a petrol pump in the Amrai Vasti area of Saswad showed the suspects. When the police further examined the footage from the area, they found five individuals drinking alcohol at a liquor shop, one of whom was a known criminal.
A police team tracked him down, and during interrogation, he revealed information about the three accused. Technical analysis confirmed the presence of one of the accused at Bopdev Ghat, and the sketches matched exactly, leading to his arrest from Yewalewadi area.