Accused threw chilli powder in car occupants' eyes before sexual assault, robbery on Pune highway

Pune | Police probing the case of sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl and robbery in Pune's Daund on Tuesday found that the assailants on a motorcycle allegedly threw red chilli powder into the car occupants' eyes to impair their vision before committing the other crimes.

The teenage girl was sexually assaulted and three women were robbed of gold ornaments by two motorbike-borne unidentified persons when the victims were travelling in a car in the wee hours of Monday on a highway in Daund in Pune district, a police official said.

The incident took place around 4.15 am near Bhigwan when the car halted after the driver wanted to answer nature's call.

Speaking to PTI, Superintendent of Police (Pune rural) Sandip Singh Gill said, "Just as the driver stepped out of the car to answer nature's call, two accused approached the vehicle with a motive to rob the occupants."

"They threatened the occupants to lower the windowpane of the car by showing sharp weapons. As soon as one of the female occupants lowered the windowpane, one of the accused threw chilli powder to blind their vision and later robbed them of their jewellery," he said.

After looting the women of their gold ornaments, one of the robbers forced the minor girl to come out of the car and took her to some distance where he allegedly attempted to commit rape, he added.

"As the other occupants started shouting, the accused fled from the spot on their bike. The passengers, who were completely shocked, then approached a nearby petrol pump and alerted the staff there. The petrol pump staff then informed the police," he said.

A case was then filed with the Daund police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.