This Article is From Jun 13, 2022

Pune Driver Rapes Woman In Parked Mini-Bus, Arrested: Cops

The accused, Navnath Bhonge, had offered the victim and her husband, both labourers, his vehicle to sleep in at Swargate when the couple was looking for a space to rest for the night, an official said.

Pune Driver Rapes Woman In Parked Mini-Bus, Arrested: Cops

The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday. (Representational)

Pune:

Police arrested a 28-year-old driver for allegedly raping a woman who he had provided shelter for the night along with her husband in his mini-bus parked in Swargate area of Pune city, an official said on Monday.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday.

The accused, Navnath Bhonge, had offered the victim and her husband, both labourers, his vehicle to sleep in at Swargate when the couple was looking for a space to rest for the night, an official said.

Swargate Police Station senior inspector Ashok Indalkar said the couple hails from the Washim district in Vidarbha and had come to Pune recently to earn a livelihood.

"On Saturday, the couple worked at a canteen in the Katraj area and came to Swargate late at night. As they were looking for a place to rest, the accused driver advised them against sleeping in the open and asked them to sleep in his mini-bus," he said.

On early Sunday morning, the victim's husband asked Bhonge for the location of the public toilet at the Swargate bus stand, he said.

"The driver accompanied the man to the public toilet and returned. He drove the bus some distance and raped the woman. He threatened her with dire consequences if she disclosed the incident to anyone," said Mr Indalkar.

After committing the crime, he dropped her on the road and drove away.

"Later, the woman and her husband approached the police and filed a complaint. With the help of CCTV, we tracked down the mini-bus number and intercepted the driver in the next two hours," he added.

The accused has been arrested under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including rape and his vehicle impounded.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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