Pune rape case: Dattatray Gade sent to police custody till March 12; accused's lawyer says ‘she could have shouted’

A court has sent Dattatray Ramdas Gade, accused of raping a woman inside an empty parked state transport bus at Swargate depot in Pune city, to police custody till March 12. The police found Gade in a paddy field following an extensive search operation carried out with the help of drones and sniffer dogs.

Gade's lawyer, Advocate Wajid Khan, claimed that nothing was done forcefully and the victim could have shouted for help.

“He (Dattatray Ramdas Gade) has been sent to 12-day police custody. The earlier cases on him were of robbery, not rape. The Investigating Officer said that he is a habitual offender but he was not convicted in any of the previous cases. It was 5.45 am the morning (the time of the alleged incident); she could have shouted and sought help. Nothing was done forcefully,” Khan told the media.

Gade was produced before the Pune Sessions court amid heavy police security on Friday. A remand application was submitted by the police to seek custody of Gade for 14 days. According to the police, the accused spoke to the 26-year-old victim at the Swargate terminus on Tuesday morning. He even called her 'didi' (sister) and took her to an empty Shiv Shahi bus parked in the depot premises. Following this, the accused raped her, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, Gade has nearly six criminal cases filed against him in Pune and Ahilyanagar districts. He was clearly spotted in the CCTV footage of the bus terminus when the incident occurred, the report said citing the police.

The police informed the court that they had not yet recovered the data of the mobile phone Gade was using. Out of the total cases filed against Gade, five were complaints from women. However, Gade's lawyer, advocate Wajid Khan told the court his client was facing a media trial.