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‘Selfie taken with consent, accused not courier man’: Shocking twist in Pune techie's rape case
The police on Friday revealed that the suspect was not a delivery executive but someone the woman had known for the past year.
Days after the police revealed that the accused in the rape case of a Pune techie was not a delivery executive but someone she had known for about a year, authorities now confirm that the selfie taken on the complainant's phone was by mutual consent.
A 25-year-old had been arrested in connection with the alleged rape of a 22-year-old woman in Pune Kondhwa. The initial reports had suggested that the man had forcefully entered the complainant's flat posing as a delivery executive and sprayed a chemical on her face and raped her.
However, the police on Friday clarified that the suspect was not a delivery boy but someone the woman had known for a year. “there is no forced entry, and no spray was used in this case,” Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said. Following this, the suspect was released, and later served a notice asking him to cooperate with the investigation.
“The duo was questioned for over an hour, during which the woman admitted that she had known the suspect for over a year,” Kumar said
Selfie taken with mutual consent, message edited
In her complaint, the woman has alleged that the man came to her house on the pretense of delivering a package, and raped her after spraying a chemical on her face.
A selfie on the woman's phone with the man, and a threatening message saying “I will come again”, were being seen as a key piece of evidence. However, the Pune Police Commissioner said that the selfie was clicked “with mutual consent”, adding that the threatening message on the woman's phone was edited and posted by her once the man left.
Kumar said that the rape angle was being probed, adding, “According to the woman, although she had invited the man to her house, she was uncomfortable over how things progressed and decided to approach the police.”
The senior police officer also said that the complainant is currently undergoing counselling sessions with police-appointed professionals. He further said that the motive behind the woman's actions is not yet known and is being looked into.
