Who Is Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, History Sheeter Accused Of Raping 26-Year-Old At Pune’s Swargate Bus Station

#WATCH | Pune, Maharashtra: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vasant More along with other party leaders, holds a protest at the Swargate bus stand over the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman. pic.twitter.com/du9aQCMJyL

— ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2025

While Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader and Baramati Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti government, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said he has directed the Pune police commissioner to investigate the case and swiftly arrest the accused.

Who Is Dattatraya Ramdas Gade?

-Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, 36, has half a dozen cases of theft, robbery and chain-snatching registered against him in Pune and adjoining Ahilyanagar district, said news agency PTI, quoting a Swargate police station official as saying.

-Gade was out on bail since 2019 in one of the offences, the police official said.

-In 2024, a theft case was lodged in Pune against Gade who was summoned to the police station, the official said.

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-A Pune police team on Wednesday questioned a brother of the accused . Police are examining CCTV camera footage of the Swargate bus station and nearby areas, and seeking technical assistance for clues and to track down the accused, police said.

What Happened At Swargate Bus Station According To The Woman?

-In a police complaint, the victim alleged that the accused came up to her and offered to take her to the "right" bus. He persuaded her that it was the "right" transport, despite her reluctance to board a dimly lit bus. According to PTI, he gained her trust by referring to her as "Didi," or "sister."

-The man took her to an empty ‘Shiv Shahi’ AC bus parked elsewhere on the sprawling station premises.

The woman, who works in the private medical field, told the police that as the lights inside the bus were not on, she hesitated to get in at first, but the man convinced her that it was the right vehicle. He then followed her inside and raped her before fleeing.

The accused also threatened the woman and asked her not to reveal the crime to anyone, the police said.

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Pune Bus Rape: What Police Said

Deputy commissioner of police Smartana Patil told reporters that CCTV camera footage showed the woman walking towards the bus with the accused.

There were many people and several buses on the station premises when the incident took place, the DCP said.

The police officer said the woman did not approach the police immediately after the incident but took another bus to her hometown and narrated the incident to her friend on the phone while travelling.

On her friend's advice, she got down within the city limits, and went to the police station, Patil said. The DCP said police have formed eight teams to nab him.

(With Agency Inputs)