Special Counsel Appointed in Pune Gangrape Case, Two Arrested; Hunt for Third Accused Continues

Pune police on Thursday said a special counsel is being appointed in the October 3 gangrape case of a 21-year-old woman in Bopdev Ghat near here.The woman was raped by three persons, two of whom have been arrested.

"Special counsel is being appointed in the case and a proposal has been sent to the Maharashtra government. Our aim would be to complete the investigation as soon as possible, file chargesheet and fast track the case for early conviction," Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said.

The interrogation of the accused held on October 11, the first arrest in the case, has revealed that one of the accused had moved to Nagpur and from there to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, he said.

"Search operations were held in Prayagraj and Varanasi with the help of the UP Special Task Force and the second arrest was made on Monday morning. Efforts are on to nab the third person involved in the crime," Kumar said.

Speaking about the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique on October 12 in Mumbai's Bandra and links to Pune, the commissioner said it would not be prudent to comment on a case that it being probed by police in the metropolis.

"Pune police is looking for anyone having links with the said gang," he, however, added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Republic staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)