Pune: The police on Tuesday night arrested a 24-year-old autorickshaw driver for attempt to rape an IT professional working with a multinational firm.
The accused, identified as Aniket Nana Saheb Munjal from Hadapsar, has been granted police custody till June 26.
According to the police, the 29-year-old woman booked an autorickshaw from an online aggregator from Info City IT campus on Saswad Road at around 3:30 am. The accused told her to cancel the ride as his mobile battery was about to discharge and he will drop her at the location with same fare.
After the woman agreed to the accused’s request, he drove the three-wheeler out of the office gate and took a left turn instead of taking right to the destination. When asked, the driver said that it is a short cut via Bhosale Village. Later, after reaching the compound gate of Little Flower School, he again took a left turn instead of right (towards Kale Padal) and headed towards Phursungi Powerhouse before stopping his autorickshaw at an untarred lonely road.
According to the police, the accused left his driving seat and sat next to the survivor and molested her. The woman resisted his attempt and there were exchange of punches between them and she bit him.
{{/usCountry}}According to the police, the accused left his driving seat and sat next to the survivor and molested her. The woman resisted his attempt and there were exchange of punches between them and she bit him.
{{/usCountry}}A Wanowrie police station officer said, “The survivor alerted her friend. Meanwhile, the autorickshaw driver offered to drop her and the latter agreed as it was a lonely spot. The woman’s friend informed the former’s husband, and he initiated search operation. Police also dispatched a team after receiving the alert on helpline 112. When the auto reached near the bypass, the survivor’s husband identified the vehicle. The survivor jumped off the auto after seeing her husband. The autorickshaw overturned as the driver made an attempt to flee, and landed in police net.
The police have sent the samples of the accused for testing to check alcohol content in his blood.
The Wanowrie police have registered a case against the accused under Sections 354 (criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354 B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 509 (act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 376 (a woman is raped by one or more in a group of persons acting in furtherance of their common intention), 511 (A makes an attempt to steal some jewels), 364 (kidnapping or abducting) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).