Pune rape case: Police widen manhunt to nab accused, announce Rs 1 lakh reward

The Pune police have widened their manhunt to nab Dattatray Ramdas Gade the main accused in the Swargate bus rape case who has been on the run for the past two days Police on Thursday said they have released the photograph of the accused with a R1 lakh reward for any information leading to the arrest of Gade A 26yearold woman was allegedly raped inside a Shivshahi bus at Swargate bus depot early on Tuesday morningPune police said that a total of 13 teams have been formed to nab the accused Speaking to the media Zone II Deputy Commissioner of Police DCP Smartana Patil said ldquoWe have sent 13 teams and dog squads to Gunat village and also 70 senior police officers have been deployed to his hometown Very soon he will be arrested because he wonrsquot have money or a vehicle As a precautionary measure a team has also been deployed to the nearby villagesrdquoPolice teams deployed in search for the accusedGade a resident of Gunat village in Shirur taluka was last seen at his home on the day of the incident He arrived there around 11 am and remained until 5 pm after which he disappeared Police have been questioning his family members but his whereabouts remain unknownldquoHis family informed us that he did not have any attachment to them and most of the time he never came home for four to five days He keeps disappearing from home frequentlyrdquo said the DCP Officials said the police teams along with dog squads have so far searched nearly 26 acres of farm area with the help of drones but could not find GadeThe victim a counsellor in a private hospital in Pune had arrived at Swargate bus depot intending to travel to Phaltan her hometown when she was allegedly approached by Gade who engaged in conversation and misled her by claiming that Phaltanbound buses did not depart from that spot Convincing her to follow him he led her to another location and directed her into a parked Shivshahi bus When the woman questioned him he falsely assured her that it was a night bus with passengers sleeping inside Once inside he sexually assaulted her twiceThe bus in which the alleged assault took place has been sent to the forensic lab for examination Police are analysing fingerprints and other evidence collected from the crime scene Meanwhile a woman from Bhor taluka reportedly close to Gade has been taken into custody for questioning said an officer privy to the investigation She revealed that he frequently harassed multiple women and often asked for their phone numbers through her Based on her statements police are broadening their investigationPolitical linksDuring the investigation Gadersquos WhatsApp profile picture reportedly features Shirur MLA Mauli Katke a leader from Ajit Pawarrsquos NCP faction Additionally his image has surfaced on political banners alongside Katke and one other leader Ashok Pawar In response MLA Katke has denied any association with Gade stating that thousands of people from his constituency participated in pilgrimage tours organised by him and photos alone do not imply any connectionMinisterrsquos visitMaharashtrarsquos Minister of State for Home Affairs Yogesh Kadam on Thursday visited Swargate bus station to review security measures However his convoy was briefly obstructed by activist Trupti Desai and her team demanding immediate actionAddressing the media Kadam said ldquoThe police did not deliberately suppress information about the crime but maintained confidentiality to prevent the accused from escaping He also assured that Gade will be arrested soon and revealed that the Pune police had already been patrolling the area day and nightrdquoTo prevent similar crimes Kadam highlighted a R437 crore AIpowered CCTV project approved by CM Devendra Fadnavis The system will use facial recognition technology to track suspects in realtimeImmediate security auditFollowing the horrific incident Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has directed an immediate security audit of all bus stations and depots across the state Additionally he has ordered the removal of decommissioned buses and vehicles seized by the transport department by April 15 at a Thursday meeting held in MumbaiThe minister has also instructed authorities to increase the number of female security guards at bus stations to ensure their safety Sarnaik has set a deadline of April 15 for clearing out abandoned and decommissioned buses from depots for safety and security purposes