A court in Pune on Wednesday remanded Shoaib alias Akhtar Babu Shaikh (27), the mastermind in the Bopdev Ghat gang rape, to police custody until October 22. Shaikh was arrested on Monday from Prayagraj in a coordinated action by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and the Pune Police. He was brought to Pune late on Tuesday.
Shaikh, a ragpicker from Adarshnagar in Mantarwadi near Phursungi in Pune, is the main accused in the case. Earlier on October 11, the police arrested his accomplice, Chandrakumar Raviprasad Kanaujia (20), a labourer from Kadnagar in Undri. Meanwhile, a search is on for the third suspect.
A 21-year-old event management student, who hails from Gujarat and studies in Pune, was raped on the outskirts of Pune in the Bopdev Ghat area on the night of October 3. She had gone there with her male friend (22), a CA student, originally from Jalgaon. He was also assaulted by the three accused and tied to a tree using his own shirt and belt.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar earlier said that all three suspects had criminal records in theft cases, adding that after committing the crime they took great care to avoid CCTV cameras while fleeing.
"They made a detour of around 80 km just to go to Khed Shivapur plaza on Satara Road which is hardly 20 km from that spot. After they learned on October 4 that an offence had been registered, they fled the city. However, Kanaujia returned later and was arrested from Warje," the commissioner said.
About 700 police personnel were deployed to identify and trace the culprits. The police had also declared a reward of ₹10 lakh for information about the culprits.
