A search operation is being conducted in the sugarcane fields at Gunat village amid suspicion that the accused is hiding there.
At least 13 teams of the Pune city police are trying to trace Dattatray Ramdas Gade, a resident of Gunat village who is accused of raping a 26-year-old woman inside a stationary Shiv Shahi bus of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) at Swargate bus station in Pune on February 25.
According to an unidentified official cited by PTI, a search operation is being conducted in the sugarcane fields at Gunat village, as there is suspicion that Gade is hiding there.
The official said that several senior police officials and more than 100 cops reached Gunat village in the afternoon. “Police are using drones for aerial imaging of the field so that Gade can be tracked down,” he said. “A dog squad was also called for the search operation in the village.”
The Pune Police has released a poster of the accused and announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for providing any information about the accused. The 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside a stationary Shivshahi bus belonging to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) at Swargate bus stand.
The woman told the police that she was waiting for a bus when the man approached and engaged her in conversation, calling her 'didi' (sister). He told her the bus for Satara had arrived at another platform.
He took her to an empty ‘Shiv Shahi’ AC bus parked elsewhere on the sprawling station premises. As the lights inside the bus were not on, she hesitated to get in at first, but the man convinced her that it was the right vehicle. He then followed her inside and raped her before fleeing.
With inputs from PTI.