Pune police set up special teams to crack Lonavla rape case

The Pune rural police have prepared a sketch of the suspect who allegedly raped a 29-year-old Mumbai-based employee of a multinational company (MNC) during her stay in Sahara Aamby Valley resort on December 11.

The police have also formed four separate squads to conduct
the investigation and are trying to verify the CCTV footage installed in the resort.

According to the police, the suspect is 5’5” tall with broad shoulders and is “Hindi speaking”. They said that “two members of the staff are missing and teams have been sent to hunt them down”.

The victim was part of the MNC’s 270 employees who visited the resort for a three-day conference that started last Thursday. The victim was allotted a room in the resort. The complaint about the rape was registered at Paud police station
on Sunday morning.

According to the complaint lodged by the victim, the employees had gathered at Corporate Hotel in Belapur, where they stayed on Wednesday. The next day they reached the resort by 11.30 am for the conference. On Thursday, the conference continued till 9 pm and the woman went to her room by midnight.

“The victim was alone in the room and she slept keeping two lights on in the room. She woke up later in the night when someone grabbed her and gagged her. Her attempts to free herself were futile as the attacker overpowered her. The victim pleaded with the suspect to take money and valuables, but he did not yield. She said the room was completely dark,” the police said.

According to the police, the suspect threatened her with a sharp weapon and spoke to her in Hindi. “He raped the woman twice and also assaulted her badly before leaving the room. It appears that the suspect pulled out the fuse before committing the crime.

She was able to make out the suspect’s face as he was leaving the room, from the light that was coming from outside.”

Around 3.50 am, the victim called her friend and narrated the incident to her and then she left for Mumbai. The victim’s statement was recorded by the police before a women’s rights group in Mumbai.

On Monday, she was brought to Pune and the medical examination was carried out at Sassoon Hospital. She returned to Mumbai after she was discharged on Tuesday.

The victim is unmarried and lives with her family. Police said that the woman was going to get married in February and she is now in a state of trauma.

Superintendent of police Pratap Dighavkar said, “A team comprising deputy commissioner of police Srikrishna Kokate, inspector of Dehu Road police station Nitin Gokave and 30 other policemen has been formed to investigate the case from all aspects. The suspect has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.”