According to police on Friday, Dattatray Ramdas Gade, the accused in the bus rape case, has been taken into custody by the Pune Crime Branch for allegedly raping a woman inside a bus at the Swargate bus depot. After more than 70 hours of manhunting, Dattatray Gade was apprehended and arrested at midnight from a village in the Pune district’s Shirur Tehsil.
The 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped by the history-sheeter early on Tuesday morning while aboard a state bus that was parked at the Swargate terminus. Authorities stepped up their hunt after the Pune bus rape case caused a stir, and they eventually caught the perpetrator.
A number of crimes, including six counts of theft, robbery, and chain snatching in Pune and Ahilyanagar district, have been committed by Gade, who has been out on bail since 2019. Since the incident was made public, there has been a great deal of outrage.
Ten facts regarding the Pune bus rape case are as follows:
1. In the Pune bus rape case, 37-year-old petty criminal Dattatray Gade, who had been free on bail since 2019, was taken into custody. In one of the biggest depots of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) at Swargate, he is accused of raping a 26-year-old lady inside a bus. Early on Tuesday morning, the victim—a counselor at a Pune hospital—was waiting for a bus to take her back to her house in Phaltan, which is in the Satara district.
2. The accused called the victim “didi,” pretended to be a bus operator, and inquired about her destination. He offered her assistance after he found out she was going to Phaltan and made up the story that the bus to her destination was parked somewhere else. He allegedly sexually abused her after escorting her to a luxurious MSRTC bus and shutting the door.
3. Because the lights were off, the survivor was hesitant to get on the bus, but Gade persuaded her that it was the correct one. He allegedly raped her after following her inside.
4. To find the accused, police sent out 13 teams to different parts of Maharashtra. Drones and sniffer dogs were also used in Thursday’s search operation inside the sugarcane field tracts in Shirur Tehsil, Pune district.
5. In order to find the fugitive, officials reported that at least 100 members of the Pune City and Pune Rural Police had started a search operation in Gunat village, using drones and dog squads to explore sugarcane fields. Three days prior to the incident, the Swargate bus station’s depot manager had voiced concerns about antisocial activity occurring within the depot. The management claimed in a February 22 letter to the Swargate police station that passengers were being harassed and robbed by private agents and some transgender people.
6. According to PTI, Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar stated that the police had offered a reward of ₹1 lakh on Thursday for information on Gade.
7. The accused was wearing a mask when he assaulted, according to Pune Zone II Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Smartana Patil. The accused’s face was difficult to recognize because he was wearing a mask at the time of the incident. However, we have further proof against the accused, and our team worked hard to identify him,” the officer was cited by ANI.
8. Three days prior to the incident, the Swargate bus station’s depot manager had voiced concerns about antisocial activity occurring within the depot. The management claimed in a February 22 letter to the Swargate police station that passengers were being harassed and robbed by private agents and some transgender people.
9. In the meantime, Pratap Sarnaik, the Maharashtra Transport Minister, requested that all buses and other vehicles sitting in MSRTC depots be disposed of by April 15, 2025. Speaking to the media, Sarnaik added that around 15,000 buses—including those that are rented—will have CCTV cameras, GPS, and panic buttons installed.
10. The Congress attacked the BJP-led Mahayuti government after the episode incited fury from the opposition. “Maharashtra should be ashamed of this incident. Maharashtra has lost its sense of law and order. These kinds of situations are becoming more frequent everywhere. Maharashtra has lost its law and order. People no longer trust the home department or the police department. Our demand is that the Chief Minister take notice of this,” Congressman Vijay Wadettiwar told ANI.
