Pune: An Indian Air Force (IAF) staffer was booked on Wednesday after a 19-year-old girl lodged a complaint accusing him of molesting her at Kalwad Vasti in the vicinity of the Air Force Station, Pune, on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.According to the Airport police, she was going to Lohegaon to meet her fiancé on a friend’s bike around 11pm on Sunday. When they reached the Aakashnagar area, the bike ran out of fuel. When they were pushing the bike, five IAF personnel came in a four-wheeler and accosted them. They asked the duo for identity documents, which they did not have. The IAF personnel then called up the girl’s fiancé and asked him to come to the police chowky with their documents.A statement given by the girl to the police stated, “They (the IAF personnel) asked me and my friend to sit in their vehicle. I was asked to sit beside the driver, while my friend was sitting in a rear seat. After travelling some distance, they took us to the Kalwad Vasti area. One of them, sitting behind me, started touching my body. When I refused, he threatened to shoot my friend. Later, he forcibly asked me to touch his private part.”The police said the girl’s fiancé reached the police chowky with the documents in the meantime. “He called on the her cellphone and enquired about her whereabouts. Thereafter, the personnel took us to police chowky. They had threatened us to not to narrate the incident to the police,” the girl stated in her statement.Inspector Vilas Sonde (crime) of the Airport police said, “The victim and her family members approached us on Tuesday evening. We have recorded her statement. We also checked with the Pune Air Force Station authorities. On Wednesday morning, the girl, some social activists of the area and our personnel went to meet the IAF authorities to discuss the case.”He said, “After hearing the girl’s statement, the IAF authorities told us on Wednesday that they would be issuing a Court of Inquiry to investigate the case in detail.”Sonde said on Wednesday night, “We have filed an FIR against the IAF staffer under sections 354 (molestation), 354 (a) (sexual harassment) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of IPC.”Commenting on the investigation, Sonde said, “We will be seeking the custody of the accused from the IAF authorities on Thursday. We will have to interrogate the four other Air Force personnel on the patrolling duty on the day of the incident.”Air Commodore K V Surendran Nair, the Air Officer Commanding of the Air Force Station, Lohegaon, said, "I am not aware of the incident. Nor we have issued any court of inquiry in this regard.”

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