Pune Swargate Bus Rape Case: Accused Dattatray Gade Sent to Judicial Custody Till March 26
Pune Swargate Bus Rape Case: Accused Dattatray Gade Sent to Judicial Custody Till March 26
Pune: A Pune court on Wednesday remanded Dattatray Gade, the accused in the Swargate bus rape case, to judicial custody till March 26 after completing his 12-day police custody.
Incident Details
The accused had allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside a stationary Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus at the Swargate bus depot in the early hours of February 25.
According to police reports, the victim was waiting for a bus to Satara when Gade misled her by claiming that her bus had arrived at another platform. He then took her to an empty Shiv Shahi AC bus, convincing her to board. Once inside, he sexually assaulted her and fled the scene.
Accused Tracked Down Using Drones & Sniffer Dogs
Gade, who has multiple criminal cases against him, was later tracked down in an agricultural field near his native Gunat village in Shirur taluka using drones and sniffer dogs.
MSRTC Officials Suspended for Negligence
Following the incident, the Maharashtra government announced the suspension of four MSRTC officials for negligence. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik made the announcement during the state assembly’s budget session.
A probe was launched to determine whether MSRTC officials failed in their duty, and the report led to the suspension of:
- Jayesh Patil (Senior Depot Manager)
- Pallavi Patil (Junior Depot Manager)
- Sunil Yele (Assistant Transport Inspector)
- Mohini Dhage (Assistant Transport Superintendent)
Additionally, 22 security guards who were on duty during the incident were immediately replaced. Minister Sarnaik warned of strict action against any further negligence concerning passenger safety at MSRTC facilities.
