'Friend Tied To Tree As They Gang-raped Her': Police Detail Pune Horror, Release Sketches Of Two Accused

Pune police on Friday released sketches of two of the three suspects involved in the alleged gang-rape of a 21-year-old woman. The incident occurred on Thursday night at Pune’s Bopdev Ghat, where the woman was out with her friend.

The sketches were created using the victim’s statement, depicting two of the three assailants. Based on these sketches, the Pune crime branch and local police teams are searching for the accused.

Speaking about the case, Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Additional Commissioner of Pune Police, said that authorities came to know about the incident around 5 A.M. on Friday when the woman and her male friend arrived at Sassoon General Hospital, a government facility in the city.

Sharma further detailed the incident, explaining that the trio first tied the woman’s male friend to a tree, using a shirt and a belt, before taking turns to rape her. He also said that the woman, who was receiving treatment at the hospital, is now recovering.

Both victims, who were college students, are not Pune residents. The woman was studying event management, while her male friend was pursuing a course in chartered accountancy.

According an official from the Kondhwa police station, under whose jurisdiction the crime occurred, the incident took place at an isolated place and the trio also assaulted the woman’s male friend.

Meanwhile, the police dispatched a forensic team to the crime scene and deployed a dog squad as part of the investigation to gather evidence and track down the suspects.

Ten police teams have been formed to investigate the case. Additionally, the police have shared three mobile phone numbers—8691999689, 8275200947, and 9307545045—and appealed to citizens to reach out if they have any information related to the case.

(With inputs from PTI)