A court in Pune has denied the bail application of Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, the accused in the horrific Swargate ST stand rape case. He is currently lodged in Yerawada Jail.
Know about the case:
Gade allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman, who works in the private medical field, inside a stationary bus at the busy Swargate ST stand in the early hours of February 26.
In her police complaint, the woman stated that as she was waiting for a bus to Phaltan at one of the platforms at around 5:45am, Gade approached and engaged her in conversation, calling her 'didi' (sister), and informed her that the bus had arrived at another platform.
He then took her to an empty bus parked elsewhere. The woman told the police that as the lights inside the bus were not on, she hesitated to get in at first, but Gade convinced her that it was the right vehicle. He then followed her inside and raped her before fleeing.
Reportedly, he also threatened the woman and asked her not to reveal the crime to anyone.
The woman did not approach the police immediately. After the incident, she took another bus to her hometown and narrated the incident to her friend on the phone while travelling. On her friend's advice, she got off the bus and went to report it at the Swargate Police Station.
How was Gade arrested?
After 70 hours on the run, Pune Police officers tracked Gade down with the help of sniffer dogs and drones at his village Gunat in Shirur taluka. Reportedly, he was hiding in a paddy field.
