Police revealed in court that Dattatray Ramdas Gade, the accused in the Pune bus rape case, referred to the 26-year-old woman as ‘didi’ (sister) before taking her to an empty ‘Shiv Shahi’ bus at Swargate depot, where he allegedly raped her.
Accused Has Multiple Criminal Cases Against Him
According to the report, Gade, 37, has at least six criminal cases registered against him in Pune and Ahilyanagar districts. CCTV footage from the bus terminal on the day of the incident clearly captured him.
Police are still trying to recover data from the mobile phone he was using. They also stated that out of the six cases against him, five involve women as complainants.
Court Sends Accused to Police Custody
On Friday, a Pune court sent Gade to police custody until March 12. Authorities arrested him late Thursday night in Shirur tehsil, Pune district. He was hiding in a paddy field when police, using drones and sniffer dogs, tracked him down.
An official told the sources that while technology played a role in the search, human intelligence was crucial in catching him.
Suicide Attempt Before Arrest
Before his arrest, Gade tried to hang himself from a dry tree in a field. However, the rope snapped, and his suicide attempt failed.
“According to the primary medical report, a ligature mark was found on the accused. It is suspected that he attempted suicide. We are waiting for the final report,” Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar told the sources.
Police had stopped their night search in sugarcane fields but later received information that Gade had visited a house asking for food. Officers rushed to the location, but he escaped. A family at the house had given him a bottle of water, an official added.
Defence Claims Relationship Was Consensual
Gade’s lawyer, advocate Wajid Khan, argued in court that his client was being subjected to a media trial. He also claimed that the woman had willingly entered the bus.
“A physical relationship was established (between them) with mutual consent,” Khan told the court.