Pune Police arrested the accused person on Friday involved in the alleged crime of raping a 26-year-old woman inside a bus at Pune’s Swargate bus station in Shirur Tehsil. The accused Dattatray Gade was apprehended at late night from Pune’s Shirur tehsil, Pune city police confirmed.
#WATCH | Pune (Maharashtra) bus rape case | The accused, Dattatray Ramdas Gade, has been detained by a team of Pune Crime Branch from a village in Shirur Tehsil of Pune district. He has now been brought to a Police Station here.
Visuals from outside the Police Station. pic.twitter.com/ZtBP6FWPtT
— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2025
Gade (37) had been hiding in a sugarcane field when police officials were searching for him, TOI reported. More than 100 police members combed the sugarcane fields of Gunat village, with the help of drone cameras and a canine unit. The operation to detain the suspect started on Wednesday evening following his track on Wednesday evening to the village.
Police also previously taken his brother into custody for questioning, the parents, and a female companion into custody to get the missing person’s whereabouts.
The attack happened on Tuesday morning early, Gade allegedly abused the woman in the ST bus. The respondent alleged that the defendant went to the victim and misled her by telling her that her bus was located elsewhere. He directed her to an empty Shivshahi bus in the depot compound. Following the pressure he exerted on her to get into the car, he got in the car with her and is alleged to have committed the rape before leaving the scene.
As per the police, the present accused has old cases of theft and robbery with him in Shikrapur and Shirur police stations in rural Pune.
The Pune Police on Thursday announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the accused in the Pune bus rape case. As many as 13 police teams were working to track down Gade, who was on the run since the incident occurred early Tuesday morning.
The case even provoked national outrage from many who are calling into question women’s safety in public areas and the efficacy of law enforcement in preventing such attacks. Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had previously underlined the need for effective law enforcement, referring to the 2012 Nirbhaya case and stressing the requirement for speedy justice for those victims of sexual violence.
The pune bus rape case has some resemblance with other episodes of violence against women and, thus, has led to raising old debates on women safety and legal versus police reform. Activists and citizens have called for increased policing and faster legal proceedings to prevent an undue delay in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Authorities have assured that stringent action will be taken against the accused and that measures will be implemented to enhance security in public transportation systems. The police have once again pledged their commitment to the prevention of such incidents in the future.
Protests in the street and online campaigns for the victim’s justice have become more popular, and social media has been completely inundated with calls for harsher criminal sanctions and for improved protection of women. The government of Maharashtra is under scrutiny to strengthen safety measures and effectiveness of law enforcement agencies in dealing with such incidents.
As the investigation continues, police officials have vowed to conduct a thorough probe and expedite the legal process to ensure justice is served. The event has brought back the priority need for concrete actions to protect women from and to prevent this crime from happening again.
Pune Police have appealed to general public to remain alert and alert the police on any suspicious activities encountered so as to help mitigate such incidents. The situation is under intense watch, and updates are likely to be forthcoming as the litigation unfolds.
With public attention firmly on the case, legal experts and law enforcement agencies are advocating for stronger policies and effective implementation of existing laws to deter crimes against women. The outcome of this case will likely set a precedent for how such incidents are handled in the future, emphasizing the necessity of a proactive approach to women’s safety in India.
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