Pune techie rape case: Acquaintance released, told to cooperate with probe

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An acquaintance detained by the police over the alleged rape of a Pune IT professional has been released after being served a notice, directing him to cooperate with the investigation, an official said on Saturday.

The Pune police had said on Friday that the suspect, who was detained in connection with the alleged rape of the techie at her home, was her friend, casting doubts on the woman's claim that a stranger gained entry by posing as a courier delivery agent.

Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar had said that neither was there any sign of forced entry nor any spray that could be used on the 22-year-old complainant.

Moreover, the selfie in question was taken with the consent of both, and it was the woman who probably edited the photo and typed a threatening message on her phone after he left her place around 8.30 pm on Wednesday, the officer said.

The 24-year-old man, a friend of the techie was released on Friday late evening. Today, he has been served a notice under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which requires him to cooperate with police and make himself available whenever the probe warrants his appearance, said a senior police official.

Meanwhile, the police official said the woman and the man were made to sit face-to-face for the inquiry.

He said the woman's medical report is inconclusive and the alleged rape is still under investigation.

The woman had claimed that a man posing as a courier delivery agent entered her flat in the Kondhwa area when she was alone, and forced himself on her. She passed out, and when she regained consciousness, he was gone, she had said.

The woman also told the police that the man, before leaving, clicked a selfie using her phone in which her back and a part of his face are seen, and left a message warning that he had taken her pictures and would release them on social media if she reported the incident.

Police on Friday had said that they had detained the 24-year-old man from the Baner area, who was at the techie's house at the time of the alleged incident.

During questioning, it emerged that the man had visited the woman's house on Wednesday night with her consent. She was aware that he was coming over and was not posing as a courier delivery agent. There was no forced entry, and no spray was used. He was known to the victim, Kumar had said.

About the selfie, he said it was taken with the consent of both the woman and the accused. It was also revealed that the text message on the photo was drafted on the victim's phone after the man had left. Prima facie, it appears that the woman herself added the text to the image, he said.

Whether the alleged physical relations were consensual or forceful is still under investigation. However, a narrative was being pushed that an unidentified person posing as a courier agent was involved, which has now turned out to be false, Kumar had added.

When the police asked the woman what led her to file such a complaint, she stated that her mental condition was unstable, and that prompted her to make the false claim, the senior IPS officer had said.