The prime accused in the Pune bus rape case has been identified as 36-year-old Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, with the help of CCTVs. A man with a prior criminal record, out on bail since 2019, allegedly sexually assaulted a 26-year-old woman on a stationary state transport bus at Pune's Swargate bus station.

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The Maharashtra government faced backlash from the opposition over the incident early Tuesday morning, with critics targeting the Home Department led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. In response, the government ordered the replacement of all private security guards at the bus station and initiated a separate departmental inquiry by the transport ministry.

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Who is Dattatraya Ramdas Gade?

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Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, 36, has half a dozen cases of theft, robbery and chain-snatching registered against him in Pune and adjoining Ahilyanagar district, news agency PTI quoted a Swargate police station official as saying.

According to the police, Gade was out on bail since 2019 in one of the offences. And in 2024, a theft case was lodged in Pune against Gade.

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As part of their investigation, Pune police questioned the brother of the accused and are analysing CCTV footage from the Swargate bus station and surrounding areas to gather clues and track down the suspect.

The incident

According to the woman's police complaint, she was waiting for a bus to Phaltan at around 5:45 am when a man approached her, addressing her as "didi" (sister), and informed her that her bus had arrived at a different platform.

The man took her to an empty ‘Shiv Shahi’ AC bus parked elsewhere on the sprawling station premises.

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The woman, employed in the private medical sector, reported to the police that she initially hesitated to board the bus due to the lack of interior lighting. However, the man reassured her it was the correct bus, and she entered. He followed her inside, committed the assault, and then escaped.

The accused also threatened the woman and asked her not to reveal the crime to anyone, the police said.

Deputy CM Eknath Shinde reacts

Reacting strongly to the rape, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that no one will be spared and people who commit such crimes should be hanged.

Shinde, who is also the president of the Shiv Sena, said on Thursday, "The Pune accident is very unfortunate. Whoever the accused is, no matter which party he belongs to, he will not be spared. Such people should be hanged. The damaged bus in the depot should be auctioned soon."

(With inputs from agencies)