Pune rape case: Crime Branch arrests absconding accused who lured woman into bus and sexually assaulted

Crime Branch has detained Dattatray Ramdas Gade, the accused in the Swargate bus depot rape case, from a village in Shirur Tehsil, Pune.

Pune: Crime Branch has detained the accused in the rape incident at the Swargate bus depot from a village in Shirur Tehsil of the Pune district. The accused Dattatray Ramdas Gade was absconding since the incident happened on Tuesday, when the rape survivor, a working woman, was waiting for a bus to return home to Phaltan, which is located around 100 km away.

The accused allegedly approached her, falsely claiming that the bus to her destination was parked elsewhere. He led her to a MSRTC Shivsahi bus parked in the depot, where he allegedly raped her.

Meanwhile, State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has ordered for an immediate security audit of all bus stands and depots across the state.

As per a release issued on Thursday, the minister has also instructed that all registered buses parked at bus stations and depots and vehicles seized by transport offices be removed by April 15.

Considering the rising number of female passengers, Minister Sarnaik emphasised the need to increase the number of female security guards at bus stations.
Additionally, he directed that a specific timeframe be set for removing unregistered buses from bus stand areas, with the process to be completed by April 15. He also called for the appointment of an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer to the vacant post of Chief Security and Vigilance Officer in the State Transport Corporation.

Leaders and workers of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SCP on Thursday staged a protest against the rape incident at the Swargate bus depot in Pune, calling for strict action against the accused.

The protesters demanded capital punishment for the rape accused and the safety of women.

Maharashtra's Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik also ordered a departmental inquiry against the Assistant Transport Superintendent and the Bus Depot Manager of the Swargate Bus Depot in Pune following the February 25 incident in which the 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside a parked bus.