Pune woman techie rape case: No forced entry, no spray used, say police on rape allegations

According to the victim’s complaint, the man had identified himself as a delivery executive who had come on the pretext of delivering a courier bank document. She had claimed that by asking her to get a pen, he had locked the door and had raped her after spraying a substance on her face which rendered her unconscious. When she woke up after an hour, the suspect fled, she had alleged.

She had also alleged that the assailant took a selfie on her phone when she was unconscious and had left a threat message on it. She had said that the incident took place around 7.30 pm on Wednesday when she was alone at home. She approached the police station at 1.30 am on Thursday.

Briefing the media about the probe, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Friday evening: “After the incident was reported to us around 1.30 am on Thursday, multiple teams from Crime Branch and zonal unit were pressed into probe. Around 9 am on Thursday, clear CCTV camera clips of the suspect were obtained. They were shown to the complainant and she categorically said that he was not the suspect. But we continued to probe. No other person than this man had gone to the floor where the complainant stays at the time.”

Kumar added: “We then traced this suspect’s movements on bike. Footage from around 500 CCTV cameras were checked. Around 3 am Friday, our team zeroed in on footage where the suspect was traced to a location in Baner. The man was picked up today (Friday) and questioned. And his technical data was verified. After examination of all the leads, it was established he had visited the victim’s house at the time of the alleged incident. He had entered with the victim’s consent, entry was without force. He was not a delivery or courier executive but an acquaintance of the complainant. We have established that no spray was used. The selfie was taken with both of their consent. The time at which the threat text has been edited on this photo was after the man had left her house. Prima facie suggesting the complainant had herself put that threat text. However, whether rape took place or not is still being investigated.”

“But the picture that was created that an unacquainted and unknown courier executive had done that, which had led to an adverse narrative about women’s safety, was totally false. We have spoken to the complainant and in her preliminary statement she has said that she was not in a good mental state. We have still not reached a conclusion on the exact stand the police will take on this and what legal course the case will take. The matter remains very sensitive. She has undergone psychiatric counselling at Sassoon General Hospital. Her family has been informed about our probe. We will talk to the girl in the presence of her family. The man and the complainant know each other for the last one year. They had connected with each other at a social gathering and have been in contact since. Probe suggests the man has come to the complainant’s house in the past,” he added.

An official said that the man was 25 years old and worked with a multinational accounting firm at its office in Pune. Police said they were not in a position to comment on the exact nature of their relationship. “When she gave the phone to us, she had deleted some things from it which we have recovered. We have recovered more photos from the time which establish what has actually happened. We have found communication and calls between the two immediately prior to the man visiting the house, suggesting this was a visit with both of their consent,” an officer who is part of the probe said.

When asked about the expanse of the probe, Amitesh Kumar said: “For this probe, volumes of CCTV footage, around 500, and voluminous technical data was examined. At least 200 personnel and officers of the crime branch and 300 officers and personnel from the zonal unit were part of the probe. It is worrying that the police were misled in this case, at least to some extent. False complaints cast credibility issues on genuine complainants. It is a long term disservice to the criminal justice system.”