Chappals accused wore at time of crime recovered: Police on Bopdev Ghat gangrape case

As the custody period expired, cops produced the duo before the court on Friday. Reserving the right to seek their further police custody if needed, the investigation officer sought their magesterial custody, which was granted by the court.

The court remanded the two accused to magesterial custody for 14 days. Meanwhile, a search for the third accused was still on.

While police have now seized one of the accused’s chappals, they had earlier recovered a wooden stick, a “koyta (machete)” used by the accused for the crime, clothes they had been wearing during the gangrape, a gold ornament and pen drives from the accused.

As per police records, the victim and her friend, both college students, not from Pune, had gone to Bopdev Ghat area on a motorcycle on the night of October 3. Around 11 pm, the three accused men came to the spot on their bikes and allegedly threatened them with sharp weapons and robbed them of their valuables. Police said the accused men tied the woman’s friend with his shirt and belt, dragged the woman to an isolated area and raped her. An FIR in this case was lodged at Kondhwa police station.

Following a meticulous probe into hundreds of CCTV videos, the police identified and arrested the first accused on October 11. Police said he had been residing in a rented house in Undri area of Pune city.

During further probe, cops nabbed the second accused on October 14. He had been arrested in the past too in another case of rape and molestation of a minor girl in Pune, police said.

While seeking their custody from the court last week, investigation officer, police inspector Yuvraj Hande of the crime branch submitted that the two accused had given them a false name of the third wanted accomplice to mislead the investigation. Police said they have established the actual name of the third accused. Police also submitted that the accused had given the false name of his father while providing information about himself. The court had then remanded them to police custody till November 8.