Pune techie rape suspect released on conditions, told to cooperate with probe

A senior officer, who is part of the probe, said, “The 25-year-old man has been conditionally released and has been given a notice to appear before the investigating officer if and when required. The complainant has been placed under her parents’ care. She is being provided counselling support and the police team is in contact with her. Her statement will be recorded before a magistrate under the BNSS Section 183, as rape allegations still remain under investigation. Based on her statement given to the magistrate, the further legal course of action in the case will be decided.”

Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, deals with the recording of confessions and statements by a magistrate.

The officer said, “A complete sequence of events of the case and the outcome of the  investigation is being prepared as part of the probe. The statement of the complainant will be recorded during an in-camera hearing on a date that will be decided beforehand.”

According to the woman’s complaint, around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a man who had identified himself as a delivery executive came to her residence, on the pretext of delivering a courier containing bank documents, while she was alone.

She claimed that the man had asked her to get a pen, following which he locked the door to her apartment from the inside and raped her after spraying a substance on her face that rendered her unconscious.

She had also alleged that when she woke up after an hour, the suspect had fled.

She had alleged that the accused took a selfie on her phone while she was unconscious and had left a threat message on it. She approached the police station at 1.30 a.m. on Thursday.

Several contradictory facts came to fore after a massive police probe involving close to 500 personnel and officers, examining footage from 500 CCTV cameras and voluminous technical leads. The probe revealed the accused was not a delivery executive, but someone she knew for about a year after connecting with him at a social engagement.

There was no forced entry into the apartment, the selfie was taken on her phone with both their consent, no substance was sprayed on her, and the threat message on the selfie was later edited by the complainant herself, the probe said.

Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar had said on Friday, “After examination of all the leads, it was established that the accused had visited the victim’s house at the time of the alleged incident. He entered the flat with the victim’s consent… He was not a delivery or courier executive but an acquaintance of the complainant for over a year. We have established that no spray was used. The selfie was taken with both their consent. The time at which the threat text was edited… was after the man had left the complainant’s house. This prima facie suggesting the complainant had herself put that threat text. Whether rape occurred or not is still being investigated.”

An official said that the 25-year-old man works with a multinational accounting firm in Pune. Police said they were not in a position to comment on the 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.