Pune: A 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside a stationary Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus at the busy Swargate bus stand on Tuesday morning, police confirmed on Wednesday. The accused, Dattatraya Ramdas Gade (36), a habitual offender with a history of theft and chain snatching cases, is on the run, with multiple police teams deployed to track him down.
The shocking incident, which took place in broad daylight at one of Pune’s busiest transport hubs, has sparked outrage, with Opposition leaders slamming the state’s Home Department, held by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, for failing to curb rising crime in the city.
According to the police, the woman was waiting for a bus to Phaltan in Satara district around 5:45 am on Tuesday when the suspect approached her and engaged her in conversation, addressing her as “Didi” (sister). He misled her by claiming that her bus was stationed at another platform and offered to escort her there.
Gade then led her to an empty ‘Shiv Shahi’ AC bus, parked away from the main platforms. Since the bus lights were off, the woman hesitated to board, but Gade persuaded her, assuring her that she could check the bus using a torchlight. The moment she stepped inside, he followed her, overpowered her, and raped her before fleeing the scene, she later told the police.
Swargate police, with the help of CCTV footage, identified the accused and launched a manhunt. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Smartana Patil confirmed that CCTV visuals captured the woman walking towards the bus with the accused.
“There were many people and buses on the premises when the incident happened,” Patil said. However, the victim did not report the crime immediately. She boarded a bus to Phaltan and informed a friend over the phone during the journey. On her friend’s advice, she got down within city limits and approached the police station, Patil added.
A case of rape has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The accused has prior cases in Shikrapur and Shirur police station limits in Pune district. Eight police teams have been formed to nab him, along with a sniffer dog squad assisting in the search, officials said.
The crime has led to severe political backlash, with NCP (SP) leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule criticizing the BJP-led Maharashtra government for failing to maintain law and order. She pointed out that Swargate bus stand has a police post and routine patrols, yet such a crime occurred, highlighting a lack of fear among anti-social elements.
“Still such an assault takes place at Swargate, which 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,” Sule demanded.
Maharashtra Congress Chief Harshwardhan Sapkal also condemned the rising crime rate, stating that rape incidents have surged across the state. “MSRTC buses are Maharashtra’s lifeline, and now a rape has taken place inside an MSRTC bus,” he said.
Taking a dig at the BJP-led state government, he added, “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.”
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