ΰΌA Pune sessions court has sent Dattatray Ramdas Gade, accused of raping a woman at the Swargate depot in Pune city, to police custody till March 12.
βOn Friday, police submitted before the court that the accused had raped the 26-year-old woman twice in a government Shivshahi bus on the morning of February 25, reports suggest.
π§According to reports, police also said the victim had boarded a bus with the accused, Gade, on the day of the incident, as he had won her confidence by repeatedly calling her 'tai'(sister).
The accused faces half a dozen criminal cases in Pune and Ahilyanagar districts and was clearly seen in the CCTV footage of the bus terminus on the day of the incident, PTI reported.
ΰ²Gade's lawyer, Wajid Khan, claimed that nothing was done forcefully and the victim could have screamed for help.
π"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 alleged incident); she could have shouted and sought help. Nothing was done forcefully," the lawyer told the media.
What We Know So Far
Arrest:π· Gade was arrested from his native village in Pune district around 1:10 am on Friday and was placed under arrest after a medical examination at Sassoon hospital.
Court Proceedings:β Gade was produced before a court of judicial magistrate around 6:15 pm on Friday, and the police sought his custody for 14 days to investigate the offence.
Investigation:π The police identified Gade from CCTV footage and said he had been previously booked in six criminal cases, with five of the victims being women.
Defence Argument:β Gade's lawyers claimed that the accused did not rape the victim and that they had consensual physical relations.
Custody:π The court sent Gade to police custody till March 12, allowing the police to conduct further investigations.
Previous Offences:κ§ Gade has a history of criminal cases, with the police alleging that he has a pattern of targeting women.
