Suspect held for 'rape' of Pune techie was her friend, she herself took selfie: Police
Pune, Jul 4 (PTI): A suspect detained in connection with the alleged rape of a Pune IT professional at her home was her friend and not a stranger who gained entry by posing as a courier delivery agent, police said on Friday, casting doubt on her version of the events.
It was the woman herself who took a selfie with him and typed a threatening message in her phone, police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said.
"They know each other for a couple of years and belong to the same community," he said.
The 22-year-old woman had claimed that a man who posed as a courier delivery agent entered her flat in Kondhwa area on Wednesday evening when she was alone, and forced himself on her. She passed out, and when she regained consciousness, he was gone, she said.
Before leaving, the accused 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, she told police.
But after detaining the suspect, who is a highly qualified professional, the police found that the woman herself had taken the selfie, which originally showed his face clearly, edited it, and also typed the purported threatening message.
No chemical spray had been used to make her unconscious (as suspected earlier), Kumar said.
"We are still ascertaining why the victim made allegations of rape and it is still under investigation as the girl's mental state is not good at present," the commissioner said.
"The rape part is still under investigation," he added.
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Conspiracy afoot to 'tarnish' image of Dharmasthala: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was a “conspiracy” to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.
His comments come amid an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into serious allegations of mass burials in the revered temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.
“A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy hundreds of years of legacy. It is not correct to tarnish someone just like that. It has all happened due to one complainant,” he said.
Noting that some Congress MLAs have called for action against those involved in the slander campaign at the legislature party meeting, he said, “ I have told them that action must be taken against those who are indulging in a slander campaign. The CM has also said that action must be taken against such people.”
“I have information on this case. Religious feelings should not be hurt in any manner. Culprits must be punished,” he told reporters, according to a release from his office.
Responding to a question, Shivakumar said the Congress party will not allow the image of any religious place to be tarnished.
“We see everyone equally when it comes to religion,” he added.
The SIT, formed by the state government, is probing claims of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been revealed, alleged that between 1995 and 2014 he was forced to handle bodies—including women and minors—and that some showed signs of sexual assault. He has given a statement before a magistrate.
As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.
