Pune: After committing the brutal gang-rape at Bopdev Ghat on October 3, the main suspect, Akhtar Babu Sheikh, and his accomplices were staying within Pune for three days, attempting to mislead the police.
Despite knowing that the authorities were on their trail, the group initially did not flee the city, moving carefully to avoid detection.
Akhtar Sheikh, the ringleader of the crime, and his accomplices, Chandrakumar Raviprasad Kanojia and an unnamed third accomplice, met up on October 7, where they planned their next moves to escape capture.
Sheikh, a resident of Nagpur with a history of criminal activities, including robbery and rape, chose to remain in Pune for a while instead of immediately fleeing to a distant location.
In a bid to outsmart the police, the suspects had put their mobile phones on flight mode after committing the crime, making it difficult for investigators to track their movements. Despite these efforts, Kanojia was arrested in Pune.
Sheikh eventually had decided to flee to Nagpur. He remained in Nagpur for four more days, but after Kanojia was nabbed, Sheikh fled to Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
Sheikh's criminal background includes multiple cases registered against him across Pune rural, Nanded, and Nagpur, and he is also married, with his wife residing in Nagpur.
Besides his marital relationship, Sheikh maintained illicit ties with two other women in the Nagpur area, frequently visiting them. His past criminal activities had already attracted police attention, and the gang-rape incident added to the list of serious offenses against him.
The police had formed 60 teams to track down the suspects in the aftermath of the crime. Using a combination of fieldwork and investigation, they managed to apprehend Kanojia on October 11 from Yewalewadi near Bopdev Ghat.
Sheikh's flight to Prayagraj, despite his efforts to elude capture, ended on October 16 when he was arrested. The third accomplice remains on the run, with police efforts continuing to bring him to justice.
