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One arrested for raping woman in SUV in Baner, Pune
According to the police, accused is a friend of the complainant’s husband and had threatened to kill him and the children at gun point, if the complainant spoke about the event
The Hinjewadi police arrested a 33-year-old Baner resident after a 32-year-old woman lodged a police complaint accusing him of raping her in his Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) which was parked inside a building.
The accused arrested has been identified as Balasaheb Sadashiv Murkute (33), a resident of Baner gaon, while the complainant is a resident of Hinjewadi, said police officials.
According to the police, the accused is a friend of the complainant’s husband and had threatened to kill him and the children at gun point, if the complainant spoke about the event. He even filmed the sexual act on a mobile phone and threatened to upload it on social media.
Later, he continued to sexually assault her on a number of occasions following which the victim lodged an FIR against the accused. Hinjewadi police station incharge Yashwant Gawari said that the incident took place between 2016 and 2019. The victim was raped on a number of occasions in the car as well as in a flat, according to police officials.
“The victim for the initial years did not raise any opposition as he had threatened to kill all the family members with a pistol. Later, the woman mustered courage and an FIR was lodged. We are also planning to add Information Technology (IT) sections against the accused, as he had filmed the acts on a mobile phone ,” he said. The police have invoked section 376 (rape) against the accused.
Assistant police inspector (API) Anirudha Giri, said, “Both of them are close friends and they went to each others house and are residents of Baner and are involved in land deals. There was intimacy between the families as they knew each other for long,” he said.
