Pune bus rape case: Accused Dattatray Gade attempted suicide 3 times in hiding, ‘rope broke everytime’

Pune bus rape case: Dattatray Ramdas Gade, accused of raping a woman inside a government-operated bus, attempted suicide three times while he was absconding after the crime. The police found marks on Gade's neck when he was detained from a village near Pune, Maharashtra on Friday.

“When asked about the marks, Gade told our investigators that he tried to hang himself late on Thursday night from a tree near the sugar cane field where he was hiding,” Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Friday.

Thirty-seven-year-old accused of Pune rape case was nabbed by police officials after he left the field he was hiding in to get some water. The field owner, also the brother of a police constable, spotted Dattatray Gade and immediately alerted the police. Later, he was caught by the officials, reported PTI.

He was sent to 12-day police custody on Friday. Gade is an habitual offender and has been accused of many crimes like theft, robbery, etc.

Victim could have shouted for help, nothing was done forcefully

Defence lawyer advocate Wajid Khan on Friday told PTI that nothing was done forcefully and the victim could have shouted for help at the time of sexual assault.

“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.”

Pune bus rape case

Dattatray Ramdas Gade allegedly raped a 26-year-old healthcare worker near Swargate bus station in Pune. As per ANI report, Gade misguided the woman about a bus. She was waiting for a bus to return home from Phaltan.

However, Gade allegedly approached her and falsely claimed that the bus to her destination is parked somewhere else. He led the girl to a bus parked in the depot, where he allegedly raped her.