E-Paper
Bopdev Ghat gang rape: ‘Accused travelled 80 km to avoid 22-km CCTV covered stretch’
Police got the suspects mobile contacts after crosschecking their details with the police dossier as they are record criminals
Pune city police on Friday said that the arrested 27-year-old accused, involved in the Bopdev Ghat gang-rape case, and his two accomplices took untarred, interior roads and travelled 80 km to dodge a 22-km distance under closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera coverage after the incident.
Amitesh Kumar, Pune city police commissioner said, “After the crime, the three accused deliberately avoided taking the main roads to avoid CCTV cameras. Hence, it took us time to trace them.”
According to Kumar, on Thursday evening, CCTV footages of the accused from a petrol pump and a dhaba confirmed with the sketches made and released to public, confirming their involvement in the gang-rape incident that took place at the Bopdev Ghat on October 3.
Police got the suspects mobile contacts after crosschecking their details with the police dossier as they are record criminals. They found the accused was present at Bopdev Ghat area at around 10.30 pm on October 3, and then his mobile remained switched off till 8 pm on October 5.
According to the police, the accused escaped from the city on Saturday morning, and was detained from his home on Friday when he returned to the city.
Police said they were aware of only two roads in the Bopdev ghat region but drone mapping data revealed many more entry and exit points, besides interior small roads that the accused might have used.
The police analysed more than 1,000 CCTV camera footages of areas near the crime spot from 6 am and 6 pm on the day of the incident.
Kumar said, “Over 700 police staff were working on the case and many have not visited their home since last seven days.”
The police have approached mobile network companies to install network towers in sensitive areas as a measure for better policing.
The police had released sketches of two suspects in connection with the alleged gang rape of the 21-year-old girl, an event management student, at the Bopdev Ghat area on October 3.
