As Maharashtra Police intensified its probe into the alleged Pune bus rape case, it emerged that a seemingly simple request for food and water led to the arrest of the accused.

Dattatray Ramdas Gade, 37, was arrested by Pune police on Friday. He had been on the run after allegedly raping a woman inside a bus at Swargate bus station in Pune in the early hours of Tuesday.

The manhunt that was initially stalled gained momentum after a crucial tip-off from a local family who unknowingly helped police capture the rape accused, news agency PTI reported.

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Soon after the incident was reported, the police launched an extensive search operation involving drones and sniffer dogs but Gade managed to stay out of sight—until he approached a family for food and water, which led to his arrest.

Accused asked for food at a house

Joint Commissioner of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma said the family informed the police about the accused’s presence in the area, after which the police team resumed the search.

Pune police have said a ligature mark was found on the accused’s neck, raising suspicion that he might have attempted suicide.

“The search operation in sugarcane fields with drones and dog squads was stopped at night. However, we received information that Gade had visited a house asking for food. We rushed to the spot, but he managed to flee. The family in the house gave him a bottle of water,” the official said.

The senior official thanked the residents of Gunat village who helped the police in the search operation.

‘Theft, chain-snatching and more’: The accused is a history-sheeter

The accused, Dattatray Ramdas Gade, was apprehended from a paddy field around midnight in Shirur tehsil.

Gade, a history-sheeter, fled to his native place in Shirur after allegedly sexually assaulting a 26-year-old woman inside a state transport bus at Swargate bus station in the early hours of Tuesday.

Gade is named in half a dozen theft, robbery and chain-snatching cases in Pune and Ahilyanagar districts. He has been out on bail since 2019 in one of the offences.

According to sources cited in a PTI report, the accused switched off his mobile phone, but the police managed to reach his village.

“The accused will be produced in court today. A special unit will be formed to investigate the incident. We will try to take the case to a fast-track court, and a special councillor will be appointed,” Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said.