Pune City police have announced a Rs 1 lakh reward for giving information leading to the arrest of absconding accused Dattatray Gade in the Pune bus rape case. The accused remained absconding for the last 48 hours after the crime. A 26-year-old woman was brutally raped inside a parked Shivshahi bus at Swargate ST station in Pune. The shocking incident, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, has sparked outrage across the state. The accused, Dattatray Ramdas Gade (36), a resident of Shikrapur, assaulted the victim twice despite the presence of a police post just 100 feet away, 18 CCTV cameras, and security guards in the area.
Gade, who has a criminal record, remains absconding, and police have launched a massive manhunt with 13 teams searching for him. The Pune police have announced a Rs 1 lakh reward for any information leading to his arrest.
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The victim, who works in Pune, had arrived at Swargate bus station around 5:30 am to board a bus to Phaltan. The accused approached her, falsely claiming that the Phaltan bus did not stop at that location and convinced her to follow him. He led her to a darkened Shivshahi bus and assured her that passengers were sleeping inside with the lights off. When she hesitated, he told her to use her phone’s flashlight to check. As soon as she stepped onto the bus, he overpowered and assaulted her, threatening to strangle her.
Authorities are continuing their search for the accused, urging citizens to come forward with any information that could lead to his arrest.