The Pune police apprehended a man on Friday who is suspected of raping a woman aboard a state-operated bus located at a bus depot in the city. This arrest followed an extensive search operation conducted by multiple police stations, nearly 72 hours after the incident occurred. The suspect, Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, 37, hails from Gunat village in Shirur and had evaded capture since the alleged assault took place at the Swargate depot, one of the busiest in Pune. At the time of his arrest, Gade was out on bail and residing with his family, which includes his wife, young son, brother, and parents in Gunat.
The police reported that the incident took place at approximately 5:30 am on Tuesday, when the victim, who was waiting to board a bus to her hometown in Satara, was approached by Gade. He is accused of enticing the woman into an unoccupied, air-conditioned Shivshahi bus, which is part of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation's fleet, and subsequently assaulted her. The bus's windows were sealed, hindering any immediate assistance from outside.
In a coordinated effort, teams from both the Pune city and Pune Rural police conducted a thorough search in the vicinity of Gunat village, examining nearby sugarcane fields and utilizing drones and a canine unit to locate the suspect. Gade was ultimately apprehended in the early hours of Friday.
Gade is well-known to law enforcement, according to police reports. He possesses a record of criminal behavior, having faced six prior cases, which include allegations of robbery and mobile phone theft in Pune and Ahmednagar. In 2020, authorities implemented preventive actions against him in accordance with Section 110 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which pertains to habitual offenders.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)