Sugarcane hideout & a 2-day chase: How did police track down Pune rape accused Dattatray Gade

Police arrested Dattatray Gade early Friday morning for the alleged rape of a healthcare counselor. The arrest took place in Gunat village, about 100 km from Pune, where Gade was hiding in a sugarcane field. He emerged when officers closed in.

The arrest concludes a two-day search involving over 100 police personnel, drones, and a dog squad. The search focused on the sugarcane fields of Gunat village after authorities tracked Gade there on Wednesday evening. A reward of Rs 1 lakh had been offered for information leading to his capture.

The alleged rape occurred early Tuesday morning inside a Shivshahi bus parked at Pune's Swargate terminus. The victim, a 26-year-old preoperative counselor, reported the incident later that morning.


Gade has prior arrests for theft and robbery, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Smartana Patil. “The suspect has been identified and has previous cases of theft and robbery registered against him at Shikrapur and Shirur police stations in rural Pune. CCTV footage shows him stepping out of the bus with the survivor. We suspect he was at the bus terminus for bag lifting.” Police questioned Gade's brother, parents, and a female acquaintance during the investigation. A departmental inquiry has been ordered against the assistant traffic superintendent and the Swargate depot manager.

The Swargate bus terminus is a major transportation hub serving thousands of passengers daily.

With inputs from ToI