Pune: In the latest development in the Pune bus rape case, the accused in the rape of a woman inside the vehicle has been nabbed by a team from the Crime Branch, police said on Friday. The suspect was arrested in a village in Shirur after a 70-hour manhunt. The accused, Dattatray Ramdas Gade, had been on the run since Tuesday.
A 26-year-old victim was allegedly raped inside the stationary state transport bus, which was parked at the Swargate bus stand. The incident took place at around 5.30 am.
The victim was waiting for her bus, and the accused approached and misled her, saying that the bus was parked somewhere else. He took her to the parked car and committed the heinous crime. Notably, the bus was 100 metres from a police station. Gade had been absconding since then.
The event triggered anger and demonstrations throughout Pune, prompting the NCP and MNS to organize protests in response. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has instructed the police to swiftly apprehend the suspect.
The police had formed at least 13 teams to nab Gade, 37, a resident of Gunat village and a history-sheeter. Amid mounting pressure, the police had intensified their search, deploying drones and dogs in Shirur taluka of Pune to find him.
The police said earlier that a search operation was conducted in the sugarcane fields at the Gunat, the accused’s native village, as they suspected that he might be hiding there. Over 100 police personnel, including senior officials, reached Gunat yesterday to carry out the operation, which also included the use of drones for aerial imaging of the field. They also ramped up the security at the key entry and exit points of Pune, along with important bus stands and railway stations.
A reward of Rs 1 lakh was also announced for the person giving information about Gade’s whereabouts. According to the police, he has several criminal cases registered against him, including those of theft, robbery, and chain-snatching in Pune and the adjoining Ahilyanagar districts.
As pe the victim, she was waiting for the bus for the bus when the accused approached her and started talking to her. The accused started the conversation by calling her sister, he convinced her that her bus, which she was waiting for, had arrived on another platform. He then took her to the parked vacant ‘Shiv Shahi’ AC bus.
The woman reported to the police that she was initially hesitant to enter the bus because its lights were off, but he assured her it was the correct one. After she entered, he proceeded to commit the crime.
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