The Pune man on the run after allegedly raping a young woman - 100 metres from a police station and in a bus parked inside the city's bus Swargate Bus Stand - may be hiding in a field full of sugarcane plants near his hometown, police sources told NDTV Thursday afternoon.
Sources said the police had deployed sniffer dogs and drones as part of an ongoing search operation within the vast tracts of sugarcane crop. Drones are required because each plant can grow up to 10 feet in height, making it difficult, if not impossible, for police teams to search the farmed area on foot.
Sources also said the man - identified as Dattatraya Ramdas Gade - slipped through the dragnet thrown around the city by hiding in a truck carrying vegetables. He made his way to his hometown, where he changed his clothes and shoes.
The police had set up 13 special teams, including eight from the Crime Branch, to track him down, and spoke to family members and known associates. A Rs 1 lakh reward was also announced.
Earlier today, junior Home Minister Yogesh Kadam said Gade's 'probable location' had been found.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has vowed justice for the woman and said Gade would not be spared. He echoed fellow Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's call for capital punishment.
READ | "Such People Should Be Hanged": Eknath Shinde On Pune Bus Rapist
"Such people should be hanged," he said.
Pune Bus Stand Rape
The rape took place between 5.45 am and 6 am on Tuesday.
The young woman, a domestic, was waiting to board a bus to her hometown in Satara district when she was accosted by Gade, who, she told the cops, addressed her as 'didi', or 'sister'.
She said Gade inquired after her destination and persuaded her that a bus parked in one corner of the busy depot would take her there. CCTV footage showed the two walking to that bus.
READ | Pune Woman Raped In Bus By Man On Bail Since 2019
Outside the bus - which had no lights on - the woman said she hesitated but was told that was because other passengers on board were asleep. She was encouraged to enter the bus.
She told the cops Gade jumped in after her, locked the door, and raped her. After the assault Gade slunk away and the woman told a friend, who convinced her to file a police report.
The police said they had equally immediately filed a complaint and accessed the CCTV footage, which jumpstarted their investigation, which will include inquiries into how and why the bus depot management allowed this to happen in their premises and on their bus.
READ | Pune Woman Raped In Bus Parked 100 Metres From Police Station
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation - under fire for poor security - has replaced guards at the depot and announced an inquiry of its own, with a report to be filed in a week.
The MSRTC is one of the three public transport bodies in the country, with a fleet of more than 14,000 buses. Every day, more than 55 lakh passengers travel on its buses.
Gade, 36, has a prior criminal record; he is charged with at least six counts of theft, robbery, and chain-snatching in Pune and the neighbouring Ahilyanagar district.
He has been out on bail since 2019.
NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
