Pune: New revelations have emerged about Shoaib Akhtar alias Shoaib Babu Sheikh, the prime suspect in the recent Bopdev Ghat gang rape case, indicating that he has a criminal history that includes a prior gang rape charge.
According to police sources, Shaikh has multiple criminal cases filed against him, including gang rape, atrocities under the SC/ST Act, robbery, and molestation.
One of the most serious charges against Shaikh was registered at Bhigwan Police Station in Pune district in July 2019, when he and two accomplices were arrested for a gang rape.
The incident in Bhigwan mirrors the events in the Bopdev Ghat case. In the Bhigwan case, Shaikh and his associates targeted a couple traveling by motorcycle at night.
After knocking them down, they threatened the husband with a knife and tied him to a tree, while Shaikh and his accomplices raped the woman.
Shaikh and his associates were charged with rape, atrocities, and theft in that case. Additionally, Shaikh has a robbery case pending against him at the Shirur Anantpal Police Station in Latur district.
This robbery took place in 2019, during which Shaikh and his accomplices carried out a heist. A separate molestation charge was also filed against Shaikh earlier at the Kondhwa Police Station in Pune.
The latest case, involving the Bopdev Ghat gang rape, is the fourth criminal charge against Shaikh. This repeated pattern of serious crimes has led law enforcement officials to consider invoking the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) against Shaikh and his associates.
MCOCA is typically used to combat organized crime and habitual offenders, and if applied, it would significantly increase the severity of the legal actions taken against Shaikh.
