Dattatray Gade, the defendant in the Swargate bus rape case, was placed under judicial detention till March 26 by a Pune court on March 12.
In the early hours of February 25, the accused reportedly sexually assaulted a 26-year-old woman aboard a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus at the Swargate bus depot.
In the afternoon, Gade completed his 12-day police imprisonment and was brought before the court.
The victim was waiting for a bus at the Swargate bus stop early on February 25 to reach Paithan when Gade came up to her.
Gade informed her that the Paithan bus had reached another platform. He led her to a Shiv Shahi AC bus that was parked elsewhere on the station grounds but was empty. She was first hesitant to board the bus because its lights were off, but the man persuaded her that it was the correct vehicle. Then he followed her inside, raped her, and ran away.
Drones and sniffer dogs were used to locate Gade, who is facing six criminal offenses, in an agricultural field close to his hometown of Gunat village in Shirur taluka.
Meanwhile, four MSRTC officials, including a senior manager, were suspended by the Maharashtra government on March 11 for their incompetence in the rape incident.