Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, a history sheeter with multiple theft and robbery charges, is wanted for the rape of a 26-year-old woman in Pune. The incident occurred at the Swargate bus stand when Gade, posing as a bus conductor, lured the victim into an empty bus and assaulted her. Despite the presence of many people nearby, the crime took place unnoticed. The police have launched a manhunt, deploying eight teams and sniffer dogs, and have already questioned Gade’s brother. The victim reported the incident to the police after calling a friend for support during her journey home.
Pune:
Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, the individual suspected of the rape of a 26-year-old woman in Pune, has a history of criminal offenses and was reportedly on bail, according to police. A manhunt is currently underway in the city following the woman’s report of the incident earlier today. Eight police teams and sniffer dogs have been deployed in the search.
Gade has been implicated in at least six criminal cases involving theft, robbery, and chain-snatching in Pune and the neighboring Ahilyanagar district. He was arrested for robbery and has been out on bail since 2019, as reported by the Press Trust of India, citing unnamed sources.
Legal cases against him are on record in the Shikrapur and Shirur police station areas in Pune district, as well as in Ahilyanagar district. Just last year, a theft complaint was filed against him in Pune.
A police team in Pune has already interrogated his brother to determine Gade’s whereabouts.
The rape took place at the Swargate bus stand, one of the city’s busiest locations. According to police, Gade lured the woman into an empty bus, locked the door, and assaulted her, all while there were people nearby.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Smartana Patil informed reporters that CCTV footage captured the woman approaching the bus with the accused, who was identified from that footage. Patil confirmed that numerous individuals and several buses were present at the station during the incident.
The woman had been waiting for a bus to Phaltan in Satara district around 5:45 a.m. The accused, as stated by MSRTC officials, misled her into entering the empty bus by claiming to be its conductor. When she remarked that the bus was empty, he insisted that there were passengers inside who were merely sleeping.
Following the assault, the woman took a bus back to her hometown and informed a friend about the incident over the phone while en route; on her friend’s suggestion, she disembarked from the bus and proceeded to the police to file a report.
The MSRTC is among the three main public transportation agencies in the country, operating a fleet of over 14,000 buses. Each day, it serves more than 5.5 million passengers.
(With Agencies)