Pune bus rape case: Out on bail since 2019, who is ‘accused’ Dattatraya Ramdas Gade?

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday instructed the Pune police commissioner to investigate the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman inside a stationary state transport bus at the Swargate depot and to swiftly arrest the accused.

Also Read: Pune bus rape case triggers protests, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar calls for ‘death penalty’ — What we know so far

As the shocking incident in the heart of the city caused an uproar and triggered protests by the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), police formed multiple teams to track down the accused, Dattatraya Ramdas Gade (36).

As reported by ANI, Pune police are widening their search for the absconding accused, Dattatray Ramdas Gade. Authorities are reviewing CCTV footage from the Swargate bus station and surrounding areas and are seeking technical assistance to gather clues and track down the accused.

“A total of 13 teams are on the ground to nab him, 8 teams of the Crime Branch unit and 5 teams from Swargate Police station are looking for the accused. Teams have also been sent out of district,” said Pune City police.

Who is Dattatraya Ramdas Gade?

1. Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, 36, has a history of criminal activity, with six cases of theft, robbery, and chain-snatching registered against him in Pune and the neighbouring Ahilyanagar district, according to a Swargate police station official, as reported by PTI.

2. Gade has been out on bail since 2019 for one of these offences.

Also Read: Pune SHOCKER: Man rapes woman inside Maharashtra state transport bus at Swargate, police reveal what happened

3. In 2024, the Pune police summoned Gade to the station for questioning in connection with a theft case. On Wednesday, the Pune police questioned one of Gade's brothers.

4. Cases have been previously filed against the accused, Gade, in the Shikrapur and Shirur police station limits in Pune district, according to the DCP, who added that the police have formed eight teams to capture him. Gade also faces charges in Ahilyanagar district. During the investigation, it was revealed that he was released on bail in a robbery case in 2019, another official told PTI.

Also Read: Death penalty cancelled, man rapes, murders deaf-mute minor girl in Madhya Pradesh

5. A reward of ₹1 lakh will be given to a person providing information about his whereabouts, Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar told PTI. Another police official said that information about Gade can be provided at numbers 020-24442769 or 9881670659. The informer's name will be kept secret, he added. Gade has half a dozen cases of theft, robbery and chain-snatching registered against him in Pune and adjoining Ahilyanagar district, and was out on bail since 2019 in one of the offences.

Here's how the incident happened

According to the survivor woman, as she was waiting for a bus for Phaltan in Satara district at one of the platforms around 5.45 am on Tuesday, a man approached and engaged her in conversation, calling her `didi' (sister), and said the bus for Satara had arrived at another platform.

He took her to an empty `Shiv Shahi' AC bus parked elsewhere on the sprawling station premises. 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, PTI reported.

Then followed her inside and raped her before fleeing, the woman, who works in the medical field, told police, as reported by PTI.

State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal claimed that incidents of rape were on the rise in the state.

“When the Nirbhaya gangrape incident took place in Delhi, people changed the regime. You (BJP-led government) promote Ladki Bahin scheme for women (providing financial aid), but ignore basic issues of the people,” Sapkal said.

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) is one of the biggest public transport bodies in the country, with a fleet of more than 14,000 buses. Every day, more than 55 lakh passengers travel by its buses.

Pune's Swargate terminus, one of the city's busiest transport hubs, was the location of the alleged rape incident.

Swargate is one of the three bus stations of MSRTC in Pune city and caters to destinations in all parts of Maharashtra. It also receives buses from adjoining states like Karnataka, PTI reported.