Pune cops make first arrest in gang-rape case after a week

A week after a woman was allegedly raped by three men on Pune city's outskirts, police have made the first arrest, officials said on Friday, a breakthrough coming after nearly 700 cops worked on the case and scanned hours of CCTV footage.

The 21-year-old woman was allegedly raped by three unidentified men on Thursday (October 3) night in the Bopdev Ghat area where she had gone with a male friend.

About 700 police personnel were deployed to identify and trace the culprits, said Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister, who also holds the home portfolio, while congratulating police for the breakthrough.

"Footage from several CCTV cameras was scanned and on the basis of technical analysis, one suspect has been arrested and a search for the other two suspects was on," said Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar.

Kumar was speaking at the launch of new projects for the Pune police worth more than Rs 700 crore in the presence of Fadnavis.

During the incident, the assailants had also tied and beaten up the the victim's male friend, as per the complaint.

Police had declared a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information about the culprits and formed multiple teams to nab them.

"An incident shaming humanity had taken place, but police have now arrested one accused and the remaining two accused will also be nabbed as their whereabouts have been traced," Fadnavis told reporters.

The government will ensure that the accused get the strictest possible punishment, said the home minister.

The horrific incident had caused a furore in the city and police were under pressure to crack the case.