On Wednesday, Gade was presented before the court as his 12-day police custody ended. The investigating officer submitted that Gade be remanded to judicial custody, with the prosecution reserving the right to seek the remainder of his two-day police custody for further investigation if necessary.
Pune: A Pune court has sent Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, accused of raping a 26-year-old woman at the Swargate bus depot, to 14 days of judicial custody. The police have stated that they are reserving the right to request further police custody if required for additional investigation.
ALSO READ: Pune Bus Rape Case || ‘Physical Relationship Was Consensual’: Accused’s Lawyer Wajid Khan
Gade, aged 37, was arrested on February 28 from his native village, Gunat, located in the Shirur taluka of Pune district. The arrest followed an extensive three-day-long manhunt involving drones and police canine squads. The investigation was later transferred to the Crime Branch of Pune city police on March 2.
On Wednesday, Gade was presented before the court as his 12-day police custody ended. The investigating officer submitted that Gade be remanded to judicial custody, with the prosecution reserving the right to seek the remainder of his two-day police custody for further investigation if necessary.
The court accepted the submission and sent Gade to judicial custody for 14 days.
The horrifying incident took place inside a stationary ‘Shivshahi’ bus, operated by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), at the Swargate Bus Depot in Pune during the early hours of February 25. The police investigation revealed that Gade allegedly misled the woman by gaining her trust and then raped her inside the bus.
According to the police, the woman was waiting at the bus depot around 5:30 am on February 25 to catch a bus to her hometown in Satara district. Gade, who was allegedly loitering around the depot, approached her and asked, “Tai, kuthe challis tu?” (Sister, where are you going?). When she informed him about her destination, Gade falsely told her that the bus for her hometown was parked at another location in the depot.
Police said that Gade repeatedly addressed her as “sister” to gain her confidence. He then led her to a different bus and allegedly raped her twice before fleeing the scene.
Following the incident, the woman approached the Swargate police station and filed a First Information Report (FIR). Based on the clues obtained from CCTV footage inside the bus depot and surrounding areas, the police identified and apprehended Gade.
During the investigation, the police revealed that Gade is a history-sheeter with six previous criminal cases against him. Alarmingly, five of these cases involved women as victims.
ALSO READ: [BREAKING] Pune Bus Rape Case: Accused Dattatray Gade Sent to 12-Day Police Custody
In a related development, a court rejected an application filed by the victim seeking a restraining order against defamatory statements made about her in public and on social media. The court stated that it was “not empowered to decide this application.”
The issue is currently pending before Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi.
FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE
