Pune woman raped after friend tied to tree, police release sketches of accused

A 21-year-old woman was allegedly raped by three unidentified men, who also tied her male friend to a tree and assaulted him at an isolated place in Pune.

In Short

• 21-year-old woman gang-raped in Pune, her friend assaulted
• Search for three accused underway, over 14 police teams formed
• Accused tied survivor's friend to a tree, then raped her

Pune Police on Friday released sketches of two of the absconding men accused of gang-raping a 21-year-old woman and assaulting her male friend at an isolated place on the outskirts of the city on Thursday night. A suspect in the case was arrested earlier in the day.

The sketches were created as per the statement given by the rape survivor and her friend, depicting two of the three assailants.

"Two sketches are ready. One of them is 90 per cent accurate as per information given by the survivor's male friend and another one is 70 per cent accurate," an official told India Today TV.

The police have also provided three mobile phone numbers -- 8691999689, 8275200947, 9307545045 -- and appealed to citizens to contact them if they come across any information about the case.

Based on the sketches, 14 police teams have been formed to trace the accused.

The woman is receiving treatment at Maharashtra government-run Sassoon General Hospital in Pune. Her counselling is underway, an official informed.

THE INCIDENT

The incident happened in Pune's Bopdev Ghat area where the woman and her friend were attacked by the three men.

One of the accused approached them in a car, posing as an activist. The accused claimed that couples were prohibited in the area and took photos of the duo.

One of the accused then threatened the woman and forced her into his car. After driving her to a different location, they stopped the car, assaulted the woman's friend and tied him to a tree. Later, the trio allegedly took turns to rape the woman.

The accused fled the scene after abandoning the woman, who was later found injured and taken to a hospital for medical treatment.

The survivor filed a complaint with the police earlier this morning.

As per the statement given by the victim's friend who was assaulted, his hands and legs were tied with a belt and shirt. The accused even snatched the man's silver ring and mobile phone. The phone, however, was later returned.