So, there’s this pretty messed up case in Pune – the Pune Bus Rape Case – where a 27-year-old woman was attacked early Tuesday morning. The whole thing went down at the Swargate Bus Stand, right next to a police station. Like, 100 meters away. Talk about bad timing. Anyway, the police are hunting down this guy, Dattatraya Gade, who’s been on the run since the incident. They’re offering a reward of Rs 1 lakh for any info that helps catch him.
This guy Gade, who’s 36, has a pretty sketchy history. He’s been arrested before for stuff like theft, robbery, and chain-snatching in Pune and the nearby Ahilyanagar area. He was out on bail since 2019, but now he’s gone and done this. The cops have set up 13 special teams to find him, eight of them from the Crime Branch. They’ve even talked to his family and some of his friends. They’ve been searching places like railway stations and bus stands, trying to track him down.
But here’s the kicker – Gade was wearing a mask, so the cops couldn’t even ID him at first. That’s why it took a bit longer to get his face out there. It’s been more than 48 hours, and he’s still on the run.
Now, here’s something weird. Apparently, the police didn’t want the news to get out too quickly. They wanted to keep it under wraps so the guy wouldn’t get tipped off and run. Junior Home Minister Yogesh Kadam said they didn’t alert the press right away, even though the woman had already filed her complaint. They didn’t want the guy to know they were coming for him, I guess.
The rape happened between 5:45 and 6 am. The woman, who works as a domestic helper, was waiting for a bus to head home to Satara district. Gade, the creep, came up to her and called her “didi” (which is like “sister” in Hindi). He asked where she was going and convinced her to get on a bus that was parked off to the side. CCTV footage shows them walking toward the bus together. She hesitated outside because it was dark and there were no lights on, but he convinced her to get in, saying the other passengers were asleep.
Once inside, Gade locked the door and attacked her. Afterward, he sneaked off, and the woman told a friend about what happened. Her friend encouraged her to report it to the police, and they jumped on the case immediately. They got the CCTV footage, and boom – they knew who he was. Now they’re looking into how the bus depot let this happen in the first place. The bus company, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), is under fire for their poor security and has already replaced the guards at the depot. They’re investigating too and will report their findings in a week.
Oh, and the MSRTC runs a massive fleet of over 14,000 buses, serving more than 55 lakh passengers daily. So yeah, it’s a big deal.
Naturally, the whole thing has sparked a political fight. The opposition’s coming after the ruling government, with people like Harshwardhan Sapkal from Congress slamming the BJP for not focusing enough on women’s safety. Supriya Sule from NCP also had some strong words about how the government has failed to protect women. In response, the Maharashtra government has promised to get justice for the victim. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar called it “distressing” and “infuriating,” and he said the punishment should be harsh, even suggesting the death penalty.
Pune’s police are under pressure to catch Gade fast, and the CM, Devendra Fadnavis, has said they’re on it. They want him locked up and punished to the fullest. So yeah, it’s a lot right now, and hopefully, they find this guy soon.
