In a shocking incident, a 26-year-old woman was raped inside a state transport bus at the busy Swargate bus depot in Pune.
The accused has been identified as Dattatraya Ramdas Gade (36), a history-sheeter, and a manhunt has been launched to nab him.
Swargate is one of the largest bus stations of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).
#WATCH | Pune, Maharashtra | Zone 2, DCP Smarthana Patil says, "A working woman was waiting for the bus to go back to her home...A man came and said that the bus to your place has been parked somewhere else and took the woman near the parked bus...Then, the man raped the… https://t.co/D80Z6vz5n6 pic.twitter.com/yme7CRTSCs
— ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2025
The incident allegedly took place in the early morning on Tuesday. The woman was waiting for a bus for Phaltan in Satara district when the accused approached him and told her that the bus had arrived at another platform.
He took her to an empty Shiv Shahi bus parked at a deserted spot. The lights inside the bus were not on and when she hesitated to board the bus, he convinced her that it was the right bus.
The man followed her inside the bus and raped her before she could flee, the woman said in her complaint.
Police identified the accused using CCTV footage and formed eight teams to track him down. A canine sniffer unit has also been deployed to assist in the investigation.
According to reports, Gade has cases of theft and chain snatching registered against him.
#WATCH | Pune, Maharashtra: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vasant More along with other party leaders, holds a protest at the Swargate bus stand over the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman. pic.twitter.com/du9aQCMJyL
— ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2025
The latest incident, which took place less than 100 metres away from a police station, has sparked off a political storm with the opposition parties targeting the Mahayuti government over the law and order situation.
"(the incident) shows that anti-social elements do not have any fear of law. The home department has failed to curb crime in Pune. The trial of this case should be held in a fast-track court and the accused must get a severe punishment," NCP (SP) leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule said.
The Congress party, too, took on the government alleging that crimes against women were on the rise in the state.
"When the Nirbhaya gangrape incident took place in Delhi, people changed the regime. You (BJP-led government) promote Laadki Bahin scheme for women (providing financial aid), but ignore basic issues of the people," Congress state chief Harshwardhan Sapkal was quoted by PTI.
