The man accused of raping a 26-year-old woman inside a bus at Pune’s Swargate depot has been arrested in Maharashtra’s Shirur during a midnight operation following a massive manhunt, police said on Friday, February 28.
The accused, Dattatray Ramdas Gade (37), was hiding at a farm in Shirur. Since Feb 27, 13 teams of Pune Police had been searching for him. Late at night, he visited someone’s house for a meal, and that person immediately alerted the police, leading to his arrest, officials said.
Gade allegedly raped the woman while she was waiting for a bus to Satara district at one of the platforms around 5.45 am on Tuesday. He misled her by saying that the bus for Satara had arrived at another platform.
He then took her to an empty ‘Shiv Shahi’ AC bus parked elsewhere on the premises. As the lights inside the bus were off, she hesitated to get in, but he convinced her that it was the right vehicle. Once inside, Gade followed her and raped her, the woman, who works in the medical field, told the police.
The incident triggered a widespread outrage, with people across society, including political leaders, demanding strict action and justice.
Gade, a resident of Gunat village in Pune, has been named in half a dozen cases of theft, robbery, and chain-snatching in Pune and Ahilyanagar districts. He had been out on bail since 2019 in one of the cases.
As Gade remained at large for over two days, a reward of Rs1 lakh was announced for anyone providing information about his whereabouts. A hotline number was also released for tip-offs.
Earlier on Friday, Pune City and Pune Rural Police launched a search operation in Gunat village, including sugarcane fields, using drones and dog squads, officials said. More than 100 police personnel were deployed in the village, they added.
Swargate in Pune is one of the largest bus depots of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).