The man who allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside a stationary bus at Pune's Swargate MSRTC bus stand was arrested on Febraury 28 in Shirur tehsil. Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, 36, had been absconding for over 75 hours. The police deployed 13 police teams in various parts of Maharashtra, sniffer dogs, and drones to track the accused.
The incident happened on the morning of February 25, just 100m away from a police station, according to officials. According to NDTV, Dattatraya is also named in half a dozen cases of theft, robbery, and chain snatching in the Pune and Ahilyanagar districts. He has been out on bail since 2019 for one of the offences.
Rape Case: What Happened
The survivor, a domestic worker, told the police that she was heading to her village in Satara’s Phaltan at around 6 a.m. when Dattatraya allegedly approached her and claimed he was a bus conductor. He told her that the bus to Satara had already arrived at another platform and took her to an empty parked bus.
According to NDTV, the survivor said that she hesitated as it was dark inside the bus, but Dattatraya convinced her, saying that the lights were off because other passengers were sleeping. She said that when she entered the bus, he followed her inside, locked the door, and raped her before fleeing.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Smartana Patil said the survivor did not approach the police immediately and took a different bus to her hometown. However, she narrated the incident to her friend on the phone, who convinced her to get down within the Pune city limits and report the incident to the police.
A case has been registered, and police investigations are underway, officials said. According to India Today, an inquiry has been launched against the Swargate depot manager and the traffic controller, and a detailed report on their accountability will be submitted within a week to the Transport Commissioner.
Massive Outrage; Political Leaders Comment
This rape case has triggered widespread outrage, with even political leaders speaking up. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has promised that Dattatraya will not be spared. "Such people should be hanged," he said. Fellow Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also called for capital punishment, according to NDTV.
Pawar wrote on X, “Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also taken this crime seriously and has given necessary instructions to the police... Instructions have been given to the Minister of Women and Child Development as well as the Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission to provide justice and emotional support to the survivor.”
Junior Home Minister Yogesh Kadam said his office had checked the number of times police had patrolled the crime scene in the hours leading up to the rape. "The police have taken all necessary steps... we have checked CCTV footage, and the accused has been identified. We are tracking the accused... his probable location has been found," he said, according to NDTV.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) took suo-motu cognisance of the rape case. The commission asked the police to submit an action taken report with a first information report (FIR) copy within three days and called for a “fair and time-bound investigation”, urging the Director General of Police to extend support to the survivor.
Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud called for safer public infrastructure. "I believe that while the primary responsibility lies with the police and law enforcement agencies, the overall responsibility extends to all institutions and authorities in charge of public spaces. This is not just a matter of law and order, but also about creating public spaces that are safe for women," he told the PTI
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