In a shocking incident, a 26-year-old woman was raped in a Shivshahi bus at Pune’s Swargate ST bus stand. The crime occurred around 5:45 am on Wednesday, February 26, when the accused lured the victim into the parked bus under the pretext of guiding her to her actual bus.
According to police, the woman, who works in Pune, was travelling to Phaltan and was waiting for her bus at the station. The accused approached her, initiated a conversation, and gained her trust. He falsely informed her that her bus was parked elsewhere and offered to take her there.
Upon reaching the dark and empty bus which was parked at the station, the accused assured her that passengers were sleeping inside, which is why the lights were off. As she stepped inside and used her phone’s flashlight to check, the accused followed her, locked the door, and assaulted her.
Police Statment on Shivshahi Bus Rape
DCP Smartana Patil said, "The culprit is caught in the CCTV footage with the girl. The girl registered a complaint at the police station after the incident after which we immediately started the investigation. The culprit has not been arrested yet but his identification has been done... The girl is stable now mentally and physically."
Police on Swargate ST Bus Stand Sexual Assault
Shocked by the incident, the woman later boarded another bus to Phaltan, where she informed her friend. They immediately reported the crime to the police in Phaltan. Upon reviewing CCTV footage, the police identified the suspect as Dattatray Gade, a known criminal with previous arrests for gold chain theft. He was reportedly out on bail at the time of the incident.
CCTV footage from the bus stand shows the accused lingering around the victim before engaging her in conversation. Police have identified him and taken him into custody. Further investigation is underway. However, CCTV footage from the bus stand has poor visibility, due to which neither the victim nor the accused is clearly visible. The footage shows the bus parked in a secluded, dark area of the Swargate bus stand, surrounded by other buses. The bus had a "Solapur-Swargate" signboard.