Woman raped inside state transport bus at Pune’s Swargate station; accused on the run

PUNE, Feb 26: A history-sheeter allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside a stationary state transport bus at the busy Swargate bus station in the city, and multiple teams are looking for the accused who is on the run, the police said on Wednesday.
As Opposition targeted the Home Department held by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the incident which took place on early Tuesday morning, the government ordered that all the private security guards at the bus station be replaced.
Dattatraya Ramdas Gade (36), the suspect who is absconding, has cases of theft and chain-snatching registered against him, said a Swargate police station official. He was out on bail since 2019.
Swargate in Pune city is one of the largest bus depots of the State Transport Corporation.According to the woman, as she was waiting for a bus for Phaltan in Satara district at one of the platforms around 5.45 am on Tuesday, a man approached her and engaged her in conversation, calling her `Didi’ (sister), and said the bus for Satara had arrived at another platform.
He then took her to an empty `Shiv Shahi’ AC bus parked elsewhere on the sprawling station premises.
As the lights inside the bus were not on, she hesitated to get in at first, but the man convinced her that it was the right bus. He then followed her inside and raped her before fleeing, the woman told police.
As per MSRTC officials, he apparently told the woman that he was the conductor of the bus for Phaltan, and hence she trusted him and went with him, but the police did not confirm this detail.
Senior police official told reporters that CCTV footage showed the woman walking towards the bus with the accused.
There were many people and several buses on the station premises when the incident took place, she said. The woman did not approach police immediately after the incident but took another bus for her hometown, and narrated the incident to her friend on phone while travelling,policesaid.
On her friend’s advice, she got down within the city limits, and went to the police station.Cases were registered in the past against accused Gade in Pune district, the DCP said, adding that police have formed eight teams to nab him.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik directed that all 23 private security guards employed at the bus station should be replaced. He also instructed a departmental inquiry and submit a report in seven days. (PTI)