Bopdev Ghat Gang Rape Case: CCTV Footage Shows 3 Accused Buying Liquor Just Hours Before Crime In Pune

A week after a 21-year-old woman was allegedly raped by three men in Bopdev Ghat, the Pune Police made the first arrest on Friday. This breakthrough came after nearly 700 cops worked on the case and scanned hours of CCTV footage.

Speaking to the media, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said, "One suspect has been arrested in connection with the gang rape and a search is on for his two associates involved in the crime."

Meanwhile, CCTV footage of the three accused buying liquor at a shop in Pune just hours before the crime has gone viral on social media.

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Earlier in the day, the Pune CP gave a detailed account of the police investigation. "The Bopdev Ghat area is totally isolated, with no street lights and CCTV cameras. We started our investigation with CCTV footage from nearby dhabas, shops, etc. We also used drone cameras to analyse as to which routes the culprits could have taken. About 700 police personnel were deployed to identify and trace them," said the Commissioner of Police.

"After a detailed and meticulous investigation, we found clear CCTV footage of the accused from a dhaba. After analysing their mobile phones, it was found that they were switched off at Saswad. They were smart as they knew if they took the main roads they could be caught by CCTV cameras, so they chose smaller roads. For covering a distance of 20 kilometres, they chose to travel 80 kilometres, and left Pune the day after the crime," he added.

"The arrested accused had come back to Pune, but he wasn't staying at his earlier residence. He was nabbed from the Warje area at around 4am on Friday. He is a native of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh and the two other accused are also from there. They worked as labourers in Pune. The two others are currently in another state and are expected to be caught soon," the CP further said.