Pune: 26-year-old woman raped just 100 metres away from police station inside a bus

A 26-year-old woman was raped inside a bus early Tuesday morning at Pune’s busy Swargate Bus Stand, just about 100 meters from a police station. The horrific incident occurred while the bus was parked and is being described as a deeply distressing crime. The accused, identified as 36-year-old Dattatraya Ramdas, has been named by the police after reviewing CCTV footage. Despite being identified, Ramdas has not yet been arrested. The police have already formed eight special teams and deployed a canine sniffer unit to track him down. Authorities revealed that Ramdas has a criminal record.

The victim, a domestic worker, was traveling to her home village, Phaltan, in Satara district. According to the police, the crime took place between 5:45 am and 6:30 am on Tuesday. The woman described her ordeal, saying that Ramdas had first approached her on the bus stand, addressing her as ‘didi,’ meaning sister. He asked her about her destination and led her to the bus, which was parked with no lights on. When she hesitated, saying it was too dark and she felt uneasy, Ramdas reassured her by claiming that other passengers were asleep, which was why the bus was dark.

Once inside, the man locked the door behind her and sexually assaulted her. After the attack, the woman got off the bus and boarded another vehicle, where her friend was traveling. She immediately told her friend about the assault, and they reported the incident to the police. The authorities wasted no time in launching an investigation. They accessed the CCTV footage and began piecing together the events. In addition to looking for the rapist, they are also investigating how the bus depot management allowed such an incident to occur on their premises.

The Swargate Bus Stand is one of the busiest depots managed by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation. This incident has shocked the public, with strong reactions from political leaders. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar expressed his deep sorrow over the crime, calling it "extremely unfortunate and infuriating." He emphasized that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had also taken note of the crime and given instructions to the police to arrest the accused immediately. Pawar further assured that the state government would ensure the accused faces the harshest punishment under the law.

The incident has also sparked sharp criticism from the opposition. Maharashtra Congress Chief Harshwardhan Sapkal pointed to the rise in crime across the state, referring to the infamous Nirbhaya gangrape case in Delhi and questioning the BJP-led government's focus on women’s safety. NCP leader Supriya Sule also expressed concern, saying the incident reflected the failure of the home department in controlling crime in Pune. Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray’s faction, staged a protest at the bus stand, and videos of the demonstration showed leaders inside the bus stand’s office, which had been vandalized.

The police are continuing their investigation, and the local authorities are under increasing pressure to ensure that the rapist is caught and justice is delivered to the victim.