In a disturbing incident in western India’s Pune, a 22-year-old data scientist was allegedly raped in her rented flat in Kondhwa on Wednesday evening by a man posing as a courier delivery agent.
The perpetrator, who gained entry to the 11th-floor apartment in a residential society, reportedly sprayed a chemical on the woman’s face before the alleged assault.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IV) Rajkumar Shinde confirmed that the cropped selfie and message were found on the survivor’s phone, according to The Times of India.
The woman, a data science graduate working at an IT firm in Kalyaninagar, has been residing in the rented flat with her younger brother, 20, since 2022. Both are originally from Akola and moved to Pune for employment a few years ago, as per the report. The incident occurred when her brother was away in Akola, leaving her alone in the apartment.
Police stated the woman opened her door around 7:15 PM after the doorbell rang, finding a man who identified himself as a courier delivery agent. He claimed to have a parcel from a bank and asked her to sign a delivery sheet. When she went inside to fetch a pen, the man allegedly entered the flat, bolted the door, and then sprayed the chemical on her face.
The woman regained consciousness around 8:30 PM and realized something was wrong. She immediately contacted her relatives, who then informed the police. She has since been admitted to a government hospital for a medical examination. Forensic experts are working to identify the chemical substance used by the assailant.
In response to the crime, ten teams from the Kondhwa police and the city crime branch have been deployed to investigate and apprehend the culprit. Forensic experts have collected evidence from the crime scene, and a dog squad was used, though it did not locate the suspect.
Investigators have identified ten delivery agents from various courier, e-commerce, and food delivery services who visited the society on Wednesday and are currently verifying their movements. A case has been registered under sections 64 (rape), 77 (voyeurism), and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar confirmed that oral and nasal swabs were collected from the survivor to identify the chemical substance used. He expressed confidence in solving the case quickly, stating all available resources are being utilized due to the crime’s severe nature.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the intruder did not register his entry in the society’s visitors’ log. Police are questioning society residents and security guards and are pursuing technical leads.
The guards on duty have stated they did not observe any unauthorized entry or exit around the time of the incident, nor any outsider on CCTV footage covering the passage to the ‘A’ wing, where the victim resides.
A society office-bearer mentioned that the building has a single entrance gate with two guards per shift and uses a mobile application for community and safety management.
While the app tracks visitor entries, it was noted that a delivery person making multiple deliveries in different flats would not require a separate entry for each. The society has provided all relevant cellphone application data and CCTV footage to the police.
