Guwahati: Pune Police announced a Rs 1 lakh reward on Thursday for information leading to the arrest of history-sheeter Dattatray Ramdas Gade, 37, who allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside a state transport bus at Swargate bus station.
Thirteen police teams are actively searching for Gade, who has been on the run since the early morning attack on Tuesday. Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar confirmed the reward for any information regarding his whereabouts.
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Gade, who faces multiple theft, robbery, and chain-snatching charges in Pune and Ahilyanagar, has been out on bail since 2019 for one of his offences.
Swargate is one of the largest bus depots of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).
The survivor woman stated that while waiting for a bus to Phaltan in Satara district around 5:45 am on Tuesday, a man approached her, called her “didi” (sister), and told her that the bus to Satara was at another platform. He then led her to an empty “Shiv Shahi” AC bus parked elsewhere on the station premises.
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The woman hesitated to get into the bus at first because the lights were off, but the man convinced her that it was the right vehicle.
He then followed her inside and raped her before fleeing, the woman, who works in the medical field, told police.
The shocking incident in the heart of the city sparked an uproar, with the opposition criticizing the BJP-led Maharashtra government over women’s safety.