Pune | Special Correspondent
The Walchandnagar Police have arrested Suraj alias Bapu Dashrath Gosavi, one of the prime accused in the Bopdev Ghat gang rape case, who had been absconding for over six months.
According to officials, while investigating another case, police received a tip-off about Suraj Gosavi’s whereabouts in Akluj. Acting swiftly, a police team apprehended him at the Akluj bus stand while he was attempting to flee. The operation was led by Assistant Police Inspector Rajkumar Dunge and the crime detection team of Walchandnagar Police Station.
Suraj Gosavi is being handed over to the Pune Crime Branch Unit 5 for further investigation, officials confirmed.
Background of the Case
On October 3, 2024, three accused individuals gang-raped a 21-year-old woman from another state who had come to the Bopdev Ghat area with her male friend.
The accused had first purchased beer from a shop in Yeolewadi, near the base of the ghat, around 8:30 PM, and consumed it. Later, at around 10:30 PM, they spotted the victim and her friend, threatened them, robbed them of their valuables, and then committed the heinous crime.
Following the assault, the accused moved back up the ghat, descended from another route, and headed towards Khed-Shivapur. To evade detection, they traveled nearly 81 kilometers to mislead investigators, despite the actual distance being just 20 kilometers. They also refrained from using mobile phones during this period to avoid being tracked.
By dawn, they separated and went their own ways.
Previous Arrest
Earlier, on October 11, 2024, police arrested the first accused in the case, identified as Chandrakumar Raviprasad Kanojia, aged 20, a resident of Dindori, Madhya Pradesh.
The investigation into the case is ongoing.