Pune/Mumbai, Feb 28: Police on Friday arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly raping a woman inside a parked state transport bus at Swargate depot in Pune city after mounting a massive manhunt involving drones, sniffer dogs, 13 teams and human intelligence.
Dattatray Ramdas Gade, on the run after raping the 26-year-old woman inside the empty bus on Tuesday morning, was tracked down in an agriculture field full of crops near his native Gunat village under Shirur tehsil of Pune district with the help of drones and sniffer dogs at around midnight on Thursday, police officials said.
Drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras were used in the search operation, due to which police were able to see aerial photos of the field where he was hiding, they said.
He was formally arrested and produced before the Pune sessions court which remanded him to police custody till March 12 after hearing arguments of defence and prosecution lawyers.
The police submitted a remand application to the court and sought Gade’s custody for 14 days, while his lawyer Wajid Khan claimed the woman herself went inside the parked bus and “a physical relationship was established (between them) with mutual consent.”
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, informed Gade was tracked and nabbed by police using different technologies.
“The accused was in hiding. The police tracked him using different technologies. The details of the entire incident and sequence will be unearthed. It is not the right to reveal information at this stage. It will be revealed at the right stage,” Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai.
The police have said a ligature mark was found on the accused’s neck, raising suspicion that he might have attempted suicide.
A senior police officer said, “Gade was brought to Pune city by 2 am. He was sent for a medical examination and formally arrested.”
Gade, a history-sheeter with half a dozen criminal cases against him, fled to his native village place in Shirur after allegedly sexually assaulting the woman, who works in the health sector.
According to sources, the accused switched off his mobile phone, but the police managed to reach his village and found out he had visited a house requesting water.
Besides harnessing technology, 13 police teams were deployed as part of the search operation, but human intelligence proved decisive in nabbing the accused, another official said.
The accused, who was hiding in an agriculture field for the last two days, was discreetly observing police presence in the village.
Scared with police action, he attempted suicide by hanging himself with a dry tree in a field, but the rope was broken and his attempt was in vain, the official said.
“The search operation in sugarcane fields with drones and dog squads was stopped at night. However, we received information that Gade had visited a house asking for food. We rushed to the spot, but he managed to flee. The family in the house gave him a bottle of water,” the official said.
He said the family informed the police about the accused’s presence in the area, after which the police team resumed the search.
The accused was spotted hiding in an agriculture field and was apprehended, bringing curtains on three days of massive search operation launched after the incident which triggered an uproar.
Talking to reporters, Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said, “According to the primary medical report, a ligature mark was found on the accused. It is suspected that he attempted suicide. We are waiting for the final report.”
The senior official thanked the residents of Gunat village who helped the police in the search operation.
Kumar said the security and safety audit of the Swargate bus depot located in the heart of Pune city has concluded.
“We have analysed points such as security, doors of buses, dark spots and more. We will discuss these with the state transport department, and a formal action will be implemented soon,” said the IPS officer.
Gade faces theft, robbery and chain-snatching cases in Pune and Ahilyanagar districts and has been out on bail since 2019 in one of these offences.
Following the incident, the opposition demanded that the Mahayuti government implement the Shakti bill, which among other stringent clauses, has a provision for the death penalty for atrocities against children and women.
Talking to reporters, former state home minister and NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh said the Shakti bill was introduced and passed by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government four years ago, but was pending for approval from the Centre.
He said CM Fadnavis has several portfolios with him and was unable to do justice to the home department, which needs an independent minister.
Congress legislature party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said the non-implementation of the Shakti bill is the Mahayuti government’s failure.
Fadnavis noted the Shakti bill was violating Supreme Court guidelines and the Union Home ministry, too, had certain objections over some of its provisions.
“Before changes could be done, the Centre formulated news laws and a majority of the provisions in the Shakti Bill are part of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. We will again review it and if required, we will bring in new amendments,” the CM said.
Wadettiwar criticised Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam for certain statements made regarding the victim of the Pune bus rape case.
Kadam had earlier said there was no argument or use of force in the crime, and “everything happened silently”.
A Shiv Sena (UBT) leader dubbed Kadam’s remarks by as insensitive. (PTI)
