Pune, February 28: A Pune court on Friday remanded Dattatray Ramdas Gade, the accused in the Pune bus rape case, to 12 days of police custody till March 12. After the court's order, defence lawyer advocate Wajid Khan said, "He (Dattatray Ramdas Gade) has been sent to 12-day police custody. The earlier cases on him were of robbery, not rape. The investigating officer said that he is a habitual offender but he was not convicted in any of the previous cases. It was 5.45 am the morning (the time of the rape on Tuesday); she could have shouted and sought help. Nothing was done forcefully."

The accused, who was detained by a team of the Pune Crime Branch from a village in Shirur Tehsil of the Pune district, was formally arrested on Friday. The accused Gade had been absconding since the incident happened on Tuesday, when the rape survivor, a working woman, was waiting for a bus to return home to Phaltan, which is located around 100 km away. Dattatraya Ramdas Gade Nabbed: Pune Crime Branch Arrest Accused in Swargate Bus Depot Rape Case From Shirur Village (Watch Videos).

The accused allegedly approached her, falsely claiming that the bus to her destination was parked elsewhere. He led her to an MSRTC Shivsahi bus parked in the depot, where he allegedly raped her. Following the incident, the State Transport Minister, Pratap Sarnaik, has ordered an immediate security audit of all bus stands and depots across the state.

As per a release issued on Thursday, the minister has also instructed that all registered buses parked at bus stations and depots and vehicles seized by transport offices be removed by April 15. Considering the rising number of female passengers, Minister Sarnaik emphasised the need to increase the number of female security guards at bus stations. Dattatray Ramdas Gade Arrested: Pune Police Nab Accused Who Raped Woman Inside Shivshahi Bus at Swargate Depot.

 Additionally, he directed that a specific timeframe be set for removing unregistered buses from bus stand areas, with the process to be completed by April 15. He also called for the appointment of an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer to the vacant post of Chief Security and Vigilance Officer in the State Transport Corporation.

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