TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Pune, Aug 10: In a shocking incident, a 22-year-old girl working as a customer care executive at the IBM call centre at Phursungi in Pune was allegedly gangraped by eight to ten men, suspected to be cab drivers, on the Thursday-Friday night. 

This is the second such incident involving a call centre employee in Pune after the rape and murder of IT professional Jyoti Kumari Chaudhary at Talegaon Dabhade here in November 2007, and has brought into sharp focus the safety of women working in call centres. 

According to the Loni Kalbhor police, the incident took place on a hill near Tukaimata temple near Phursungi. The girl, who is from Nandurbar, has been with the IBM call centre for the last year. The incident came to light after the victim’s boyfriend registered an FIR of gangrape against unknown cab drivers on Friday. 

The FIR said the victim had taken a cab from her hostel at Phursungi to her office after a call from the office late on Thursday. A woman official had reportedly asked her to come to the office. 

The FIR further said some cab drivers chased her vehicle and intercepted it at a remote stretch near the temple and dragged her to the hill where they allegedly gangraped her between 11.30 pm and 1 am. 

The police said the accused then dropped the girl at her hostel. She told her boyfriend everything when he visited her on Friday, following which they duo went to the police station to lodge an FIR. The police have registered a case against unknown suspects. 

After the incident came to light, Roma Navani, corporate communications, IBM, Delhi, said, “This is an unfortunate incident and we will give full support to the local authorities who are investigating the case.’’

‘Raped’ girl was in room, say mates

Pune: Deputy superintendent of police (Haveli division) Ravindrasinh Pardeshi on Saturday said there were certain contradictions in the complaint filed a youth claiming that his girlfriend, who works for the IBM call centre, had been gangraped by about eight taxi drivers on Thursday night. 

He said the probe had revealed that the company rules did not permit taxi drivers to ferry a woman employee after duty hours. Pardeshi said things would be clearer after the girl, who was in a state of distress, disclosed details of the incident. He said the girl’s cellphone records did not show any call from IBM. Besides, her hostel mates had told the police that the girl had been in her room through the night.