Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, the man allegedly responsible for the rape of a 26-year-old woman in Pune, is a history sheeter, who was out on bail, the police have said. A manhunt is on in the city since the young woman reported the rape earlier today. The police have deployed eight teams and sniffer dogs.
Gade has at least six cases of theft, robbery, and chain-snatching registered against him in Pune and the adjoining Ahilyanagar district. Arrested for a robbery, he has been out on bail since 2019, reported news agency Press Trust of India, quoting unnamed officials.
Cases have been registered against him in the Shikrapur and Shirur police station areas in Pune district. He also faces charges in Ahilyanagar district. As recently as last year, a theft case was lodged against him in Pune.
A Pune police team has already questioned his brother to ascertain his whereabouts.
The rape occurred at the Swargate bus stand, one of the busiest in the city. According to the police, when Gade tricked the woman into the empty bus, locked its door, and assaulted her, there were people nearby.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Smartana Patil told reporters that CCTV footage showed the woman walking toward the bus with the accused. In fact, the police identified him from the footage. Patil confirmed that there were many people and several buses on the station premises when the incident took place.
The woman had been waiting for a bus to Phaltan in Satara district around 5:45 a.m. The accused, according to MSRTC officials, had taken her to the empty bus, claiming to be its conductor. When she pointed out that the bus was empty, he said it had people inside who were sleeping.
After the assault, the woman took a bus to her hometown and narrated the incident to a friend on the phone while on the way, the police said. On her friend’s advice, she got off the bus and went to the police to report the matter.
The MSRTC is one of the three public transport bodies in the country, with a fleet of more than 14,000 buses. Every day, more than 55 lakh passengers travel on its buses
(With Agencies Input)