26-year-old woman allegedly raped in bus; accused arrested with villagers’ help

Pune: A 26-year-old woman was reportedly raped by a man in a stationary bus in Maharashtra’s Shirur tehsil late on Thursday night, according to police. DCP Nikhil Pingle of Crime Branch Pune confirmed the arrest of the accused, Dattatreya Ramdas Gade, from a sugarcane field in the village at 1:30 am.

Pingle stated that villagers played a crucial role in the arrest, alerting authorities after recognizing the suspect. Gade had arrived at Gunat village seeking water from a house, where locals identified him and informed the police. The villagers also assisted in capturing the accused.

The incident took place on February 25 at the government-run Swargate depot. Gade had a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head. After committing the crime, he reportedly fled in a vegetable truck and returned to his village, where he changed his clothes and shoes before leaving again.

Police, aided by drones and sniffer dogs, launched a search and formed 13 teams to apprehend the accused. Gade has been sent to Pune for further investigation.