"Will honour people of Gunat village, accused will be produced before Court": Pune CP on Maharashtra bus rape case

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], February 28 (ANI): Thanking the people of Gunat for cooperation in the search of the accused in the Pune rape incident, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Friday said that the accused will be produced before the Court and a special counsel will be appointed in the case.
"The accused was detained from Gunat village last night around 1:10 am... People from the Gunat village helped us nab the accused. Nearly 500 officers and personnel had been working on this operation for the past three days. Around 400-500 citizens of Gunat village extended significant cooperation in the search. Our dog squad provided leads from different locations, which yielded positive results. Drone cameras were also used, which proved beneficial. Although there was a delay, we finally arrested the accused last night," Pune CP said addressing a press conference.
He further said that the Police are making every effort to build a "watertight case."
"After completing the formalities, he was arrested, and he will be produced before the Court today. A special counsel will be appointed, and we will try to fast-track the case... We believe that we will succeed in preventing such cases in the future, and we are working in this regard," he added.
The Pune Police Commissioner thanked the people of Gunat and said that he will visit the village to honour the villagers.
"I thank the people of Gunat on behalf of Pune police. I will visit the village to honour the villagers who helped us," he said.
The accused in the Pune rape incident, who was detained by a team of the Pune Crime Branch from Gunat village in Shirur Tehsil of Pune district, and was formally arrested, Pune Police said on Friday. DCP Smarthana Patil, Zone 2, Pune City Police, stated that the accused, Dattatray Ramdas Gade, has been formally arrested.
The accused Dattatray Ramdas Gade was absconding since the incident happened on Tuesday, when the rape survivor, a working woman, was waiting for a bus to return home to Phaltan, which is located around 100 km away. The accused allegedly approached her, falsely claiming that the bus to her destination was parked elsewhere. He led her to a MSRTC Shivsahi bus parked in the depot, where he allegedly raped her.
Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey called for maximum punishment for the accused in the case.
"The Pune incident has shaken the entire Maharashtra...We are living in modern times but such barbarism is happening in these times. Government and those responsible for law and order are responsible for this. People swear by the law and order in Maharashtra...The manner in which crime has increased in Pune is very unfortunate...After 48 hours, the government is appreciating itself that it has nabbed the accused...What is the guarantee that he acted alone? It is possible that there is a gang behind this...Locals say that buses remain parked there and incidents happen on those buses every day. This incident has come to light; several others might not have. Govt must dismantle this entire gang. We demand Devendra Fadnavis to hang the guilty and also have an investigation...Law and order of the entire Maharashtra is collapsing.," Dubey said.
Maharashtra's Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik also initiated a departmental inquiry against the Assistant Transport Superintendent and the Bus Depot Manager of the Swargate Bus Depot in Pune. (ANI)