A 25-year-old man arrested in connection with the alleged rape of a 22-year-old techie in Pune's Kondhwa area has been released after police found major inconsistencies in the woman's complaint, officials said on Friday.
Initial reports suggested that the man posed as a delivery executive, forced his way into the woman’s rented flat, sprayed a chemical on her face, and raped her. But police have now clarified that there was no forced entry and no chemical spray involved.
“The suspect is not a delivery boy. But both of them have known each other for the last year. Also, there is no forced entry, and no spray was used in this case,” said Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar.
According to police, the accused and the woman had known each other well for the past year. During questioning, the man told police the selfie, which was being treated as key evidence, was taken with the woman’s consent.
Also Read | Pune techie’s rape accused was her friend; she took selfie, typed threat: Police
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | Pune techie’s rape accused was her friend; she took selfie, typed threat: Police
{{/usCountry}}He claimed she had edited the photo and added the threatening message “I will be back” herself.
“The selfie was taken with the victim's consent, and the message was edited and posted by the victim,” Kumar said.
Who the woman is and what she alleged
According to Additional Commissioner of Police (Eastern Region) Manoj Patil, the woman is an IT professional working with a reputed firm and hails from Akola. She was living in the housing society as a tenant with her younger brother, who is studying engineering at a college in Pune.
The woman had filed a complaint on Thursday alleging that the man came to her house pretending to deliver a package, and raped her after rendering her unconscious.
Also Read | Techie raped in Pune’s Kondhwa hsg society by man posing as delivery executive
Her allegations led to a massive police operation. Ten teams, including five from the crime branch, were deployed to track the suspect. Around 500 officers were involved, and footage from over 500 CCTV cameras was analysed before the suspect was detained in Baner.
Police said they showed the suspect’s photo to residents of the woman’s society, but no one recognised him. However, police confirmed that photos of the man were found on the woman’s phone.
“The girl’s mental state is not good at present… The rape part is still under investigation,” Kumar said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
The man who was detained is a highly qualified professional, the PTI report added.
Police said they are still trying to understand the motive behind the woman’s complaint.