Pune bus rape accused arrested after 75-hour manhunt

The arrested individual was identified as Dattatraya Ramdas Gade.

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He was arrested from the Shirur region in Maharashtra after police launched a 75-hour manhunt.

The police had reportedly deployed 13 police teams across various locations to track him.

Police had used sniffer dogs and drones in the manhunt.

A reward of Rs. 1 lakh was also announced.

Bus Horror 

The 26-year-old woman was raped inside a bus early Tuesday morning while being parked in the middle of Pune's busy Swargate Bus Stand.

The accused Ramdas, 36, already has a criminal record in cases of theft, robbery, and chain-snatching in Pune and Ahilyanagar district. He has been out on bail since 2019 in one of the offences.

According to the police, the crime took place sometime between 5.45 am and 6.30 am on Tuesday.

Accused Addressed Victim As 'Didi'

A preliminary scan of CCTV footage shows the alleged rapist talking to the victim, who said Ramdas addressed her as 'didi', or 'sister'.

According to the woman, he asked after her destination and told her the parked vehicle, which had no lights, would take her there.

The woman said the accused led her to the bus and, when she hesitated, pointing out the lights were not on, he told her the other passengers were sleeping and that was why it was dark.

She said the moment she entered the bus, Ramdas jumped in, locked the door, and raped her.

After that, she boarded a second bus on which her friend travelled and narrated the incident. The friend immediately told her to report the matter to the cops.

The police said they had immediately filed a complaint and accessed the CCTV footage, leading to their investigation.

The bus stand is one of the largest depots of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation.