Dattatray Ramdas Gade, the 37-year-old man accused of raping a woman inside a bus in Pune’s Swargate bus station, was arrested on Friday morning after a massive manhunt. The police said Gade’s request for food and water from a house led to his arrest.
The police said ligature marks were found on the neck of the accused, suggesting he may have tried to die by suicide.
“According to the primary medical report, a ligature mark was found on the accused. It is suspected that he attempted suicide. We are waiting for the final report,” Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Gade had been hiding in a paddy field in a village in Shirur tehsil. The police used sniffer dogs and drones to zero in on his hideout.
The accused switched off his mobile phone, but the police managed to reach his village and found out he had visited a house requesting water.
Gade, a person with a criminal history, fled to his native place Shirur after raping a 26-year-old woman inside a bus. The Pune police deployed drones and a dog squad in Gunat village to nab the accused.
Pune bus rape: How was Gade arrested?
Joint commissioner of police Ranjan Kumar Sharma also visited the village and briefed his officers.
Also read: ‘Nirbhaya case led to changes, but…’: Former CJI Chandrachud on Pune bus rape
“The search operation in sugarcane fields with drones and dog squads was stopped at night. However, we received information that Gade had visited a house asking for food. We rushed to the spot, but he managed to flee. The family in the house gave him a bottle of water,” the official said.
The family informed the police about the accused. The police found him hiding in a paddy field.
Meanwhile, amid a massive uproar over the incident, the police conducted a security and safety audit of the bus depot.
“We have analysed points such as security, doors of buses, dark spots and more. We will discuss these with the state transport department, and a formal action will be implemented soon.”
With inputs from PTI
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