A 26-year-old woman was raped inside a stationary bus at Swargate bus stand early Tuesday, prompting a manhunt for the accused with a criminal record
Mumbai: A man allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus on the premises of a bus stand in Pune in the early hours of Tuesday. The police identified the accused as a history-sheeter and launched an extensive search for him.
According to the Pune Police, the crime took place around 5.30 am when the woman was at the busy Swargate ST stand to board a bus for her hometown in Satara district. The accused, who was identified as Dattatray Ramdas Gade, loitering on the premises of the bus stand, allegedly approached the victim and misled her to another bus, stating that it was the one for her destination in Satara. The victim believed him and boarded the bus. The suspect followed her and raped her inside the bus before fleeing from the place.
The police said that the victim made a call to her friend and narrated the entire incident. Her friend advised her to register a complaint with the police.
Smarthana Patil, DCP Zone 2 of Pune, told this newspaper that when the victim approached the police station, they immediately registered an FIR. “We have ascertained the identity of the accused through CCTV footage. We have constituted eight police teams to trace him,” Ms Patil said.
Gade has been previously booked in cases of theft in Pune district. He hails from the rural parts of the district. The DCP also said that they have detained Gade’s brother in this case.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar instructed Pune Police commissioner to take up the matter seriously and arrest the culprit. He said, “The incident is extremely shameful, painful, and infuriating for every member of a civilised society. The crime committed by the accused is unforgivable, and there can be no other punishment for it but the capital punishment.”
However, the opposition parties alleged that the incident shows there is no law and order in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena (UBT) workers staged a protest at the ST bus stand over the incident raising a question what the guards of the MSRTC were doing when the woman was raped.
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshavardhan Sapkal slammed the BJP-led Mahayuti government. He said that the rape inside the state owned bus has once again raised serious concerns about women’s safety. “The Pune rape case has laid bare the collapse of law and order in Maharashtra. The government, which calls women "beloved sisters," is failing to protect them,” he said.
NCP (SP) working president and Baramati Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule said that there is no fear of law amongst the anti-social elements. “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,” she said.
