Dattatray Ramdas Gade, a 37-year-old male suspect in the case of sexually assaulting a woman within a bus at Pune's Swargate bus stop, was arrested on Friday morning after a large-scale search operation. Police said that Gade's arrest was made possible with the help of a local family when he sought food and water from them.
Ligature marks on Gade's neck, as reported by police officials, suggest a possible attempt at suicide.
"The preliminary medical report confirms the presence of ligature marks on the accused. It is suspected that he tried to take his life. We are waiting for the final report," Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar told PTI.
Gade had been hiding in a paddy field in a village under Shirur tehsil. Sniffer dogs and drones were used by the police to locate his whereabouts.
Though he had switched off his phone to avoid arrest, police traced his footsteps to his home village. They further came to know that he had stopped at a house in the area and sought water.
With a history of crime, Gade had fled to Shirur after beating a 26-year-old woman inside a bus. In order to catch him, Pune police deployed drone surveillance and a K9 team in Gunat village.
Joint Commissioner of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma too came down to the locality to monitor the operation and give orders to the police personnel at the site.
"Night searches of the sugarcane fields with the drone and dog unit were called off. We had intelligence that Gade had gone to a house looking for food. When we quickly reached there, he had already escaped. The family had given him a bottle of water," said an official.
The family immediately informed the authorities, who eventually found him hiding in a paddy field.
Security Review at the Bus Depot
In response to outrage among the people after the accident, police conducted a security and safety audit of the bus depot.
"We have analyzed key features such as security, bus doors, and dimly lit sections. Talks would be initiated with the state transport department, and actions would be taken at the earliest," authorities asserted.
Read also| Maha Kumbh Mela Concludes as 1.32 Crore Devotees Take ‘Amrit Snan’ on Maha Shivaratri
