Pune: Police on Wednesday arrested three young men on the charge of raping two 15-year-old Std X students over two days, between Sept 14 and Sept 16, in a room at Hadapsar . One more man wanted in connection with the crime is on the run. The Pune Rural police found that the four men had forced the two girls to drink liquor before sexually assaulting them.
Deputy superintendent of police (Baramati Division) Sudarshan Patil on Thursday told TOI that the arrested men, aged between 20 and 27, were cellphone tower workers in Baramati . "They are from the same area where the girls reside. They knew the girls well.
" On Sept 14, one of the girls left home by informing her family that she was going to a temple, while the other girl left for school. "The two did not return to their homes thereafter. Their mothers lodged separate missing person complaints with police," Rathod said.
On Sept 16, one of the girls contacted her family and told them that she was in Hadapsar. A Baramati taluka police team reached Hadapsar and secured the two girls with them. The girls were brought to Baramati.
"The girls did not disclose anything initially. During counselling, they said four people raped them after forcing them to consume liquor," the officer said. "The girls are from different schools, but are friends.
On Sept 14, after leaving their homes, they had informed one of the men that they were reaching Hadapsar by bus. The 27-year-old man alerted his two accomplices in Hadapsar, and he reached Hadapsar from Baramati. The man and his two accomplices then took them to the room.
For the next two days, they sexually assaulted the girls," he said. Rathod said the girls revealed the names of the three men, whom they knew "very well". He said, "We arrested them and are searching for their fourth accomplice.
" Two cases for offences under Section 70 (2), which refers to gang rape of minor woman, of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 8 (sexual assault), 12 (sexual harassment), 14 (using child for pornographic purposes) and 16 (abetment of an offence) of POCSO Act have been registered. "A local court has sent the arrested trio to two days of police custody," Rathod said..
