Overview

• A 23-year-old airhostess accused her 25-year-old colleague Devashish Sharma of rape at his Mira Road home on June 29 after returning from a London work trip
• Navghar police arrested Sharma on July 18 and booked him under BNS sections covering rape, criminal intimidation and insult with intent to provoke breach of peace
• In a separate incident, a 33-year-old woman reported being raped in a forest near Lonavala on July 15 and investigators used CCTV scans and human intelligence to detain 38-year-old Balu Shirke on July 17
• Both suspects will remain in custody for medical examinations before being produced in court as chargesheets are prepared
• Authorities across Thane and Pune districts have stepped up use of technical probes and fast-track legal measures under the new code in response to a spike in sexual offences