Two Army jawans held for rape in Pune

Two Army jawans were arrested on Friday for allegedly raping a 19-year-old woman in a defence area on the city on Wednesday evening....

Two Army jawans were arrested on Friday for allegedly raping a 19-year-old woman in a defence area on the city on Wednesday evening.

Police said Rajnishsingh Sureshchandra (26) and Sundarsingh Mahipalsingh (30),both attached to the 17 Rajaputana Rifles,has been remanded in police custody till April 15 by a Pimpri court. The complaint said the duo approached the woman around 9.30 pm on Wednesday when she was talking to her boyfriend near Swaraj garden in Sangvi. They took her forcefully to the defence area and raped her while her friend was pushed into a pit and beaten up,police said. The victim,a resident of Chinchwad,works in a local hotel as a waitress.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Vishnu Mane said after raping the woman,the soldiers took her mobile number. They called her up on the cell phone a few times on Thursday asking her to come to Swaraj garden in the evening. It was then that the woman along with her friend approached the police and lodged the complaint, Mane said. The police team laid a trap near the garden on Thursday but the soldiers did not turn up. They called the woman later saying they would meet her on Friday afternoon, he said.

Police said when they called her up on Thursday asking to come to the Swaraj garden they asked her to arrange for three more girls. They also asked the woman to open a bank account where they would transfer Rs 40,000 if she arranged for the girls. We intercepted the cellphone calls and identified the suspects. As it became clear that the suspects were Army jawans,the police approached senior Army officers in Sangvi,who cooperated and handed over the duo, Mane said. Police said the jawans also took away a gold chain,a silver bracelet and Rs 800 from the boy.