Woman raped inside MSRTC bus in Pune; accused on the run

A man with a criminal record allegedly raped a woman inside a stationary State transport bus at the busy Swargate bus stand in Pune, police says, adding that multiple teams are looking for the accused who is on the run.

A man with a criminal record allegedly raped a woman inside a stationary State transport bus at the busy Swargate bus stand in Pune, police said on Wednesday (February 26, 2025), adding that multiple teams are looking for the accused who is on the run.

The incident which took place on Tuesday (February 25, 2025) morning drew sharp reactions from Opposition leaders who blamed the Home Department held by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for failing to deal with the rising crime in the Pune region.

Dattatraya Ramdas Gade (36), the suspect, had cases of theft and chain snatching registered against him, said a Swargate police station official.

Swargate is one of the largest bus junctions of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).

According to the woman, as she was waiting for a bus for Phaltan in Satara district at one of the platforms around 5.45 a.m. on Tuesday (February 25, 2025), a man approached her and engaged her in conversation, calling her ‘didi’ (sister), and said the bus for Satara had arrived at another platform.

He then took her to an empty bus parked elsewhere on the sprawling station premises.

Police identified the accused Gade from CCTV footage, and multiple teams have been formed to track him down, the official said.