Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said that the Pune rape accused was hiding in a sugarcane farm and was caught using a drone. He assured that a thorough investigation is underway to ensure justice.

“Till day before yesterday, people were raising questions about why he was not arrested. He was hiding in a sugarcane farm. We used a drone to catch him. His situation was such that he tried to die by suicide. I am firm on the point that such incidents shall not happen anywhere. Now, efforts are being made to get the case investigated properly. Let the facts come out after a detailed investigation. Action will be taken against those who are vandalising public property,” Pawar said.

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.

A Pune court on Friday remanded Dattatray Ramdas Gade, the accused in the Pune bus rape case, to 12 days of police custody till March 12.

Meanwhile, speaking on Maharashtra politics, Pawar commented on Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s statement about expanding the Shiv Sena’s influence across the state.

“Everyone has the right to expand their party. Wherever Eknath Shinde goes in the state, he can say that he wants to saffronise the district. In the same way, CM Fadnavis can say he wants to see the BJP’s flag in the whole district. Similarly, I can also say that I want to see NCP’s flag everywhere in the state. But there is nothing special about it. We have decided to be united. It’s the people who decide who gets the mandate. We keep the interest of the state ahead while working,” he added.

New Delhi, Feb 28: The parents of RG Kar Medical college doctor, who was raped and murdered on the hospital campus on August 9 last year, on Friday said that Mamata Banerjee-led state government is responsible for their daughter’s tragic fate. They also accused the state government of passing the buck and failing to deliver justice, even a year after the horrifying case of rape and murder that shook the entire nation.

The parents of the murdered woman doctor of R G Kar hospital said this after meeting the CBI director, regarding the ongoing probe into the crime. They recently traveled to Delhi to raise their concerns before the investigating agency.

“We met CBI Director Praveen Sood and discussed the verdict given by the Sealdah Court. We also sought clarity on what the CBI has done so far in the investigation and requested the director to ensure my daughter gets proper justice. The supplementary chargesheet, which was scheduled for submission in court, was also a point of discussion,” said the victim’s father.

Raising concerns over procedural delays, he added, “We have not even received my daughter’s death certificate yet, so we urged the CBI director to help us obtain it. He assured us of his support.”

The grieving parents slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her recent remarks, in which she accused the CBI of not handling the case properly. “Mamata Banerjee is misleading the people and voters. She never questioned why her own police failed to act promptly. Instead, she always blames the CBI and other agencies,” the father stated.

He also alleged that the state government deliberately tried to suppress the case. “Mamata Banerjee’s police did nothing for four days after my daughter’s death. She instructed all stakeholders to stay silent and even arranged for my daughter’s body to be cremated at 2:00 a.m. that night.”

Hinting at a larger conspiracy, he said that the Chief minister must take accountability for inordinate delay in justice.

“As both CM and health minister, she had the duty to ensure my daughter’s safety but failed. I believe there is a bigger plot behind this crime, and she is responsible for it.”

The body of the 31-year-old second-year postgraduate student, who was raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the hospital, was found on August 9. The police later said that multiple lacerations and wounds were found on her body.

Mumbai, Feb 28: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the accused in the Pune bus rape case has been nabbed and based on the technical and forensic details the police will carry out a detailed investigation.

The probe will reveal the turn of events and further details, he said.

“The police have arrested the accused, who was hiding. However, the police found him using various technologies. Soon, the entire incident will be revealed. The Police Commissioner has given some information about the incident. It would not be appropriate to give the remaining information at this stage. All the information will be available after the investigation,” he said.

CM Fadnavis further stated, “It would be premature to talk about this right now. The accused will be taken into custody. An investigation will be conducted after that.”

Pune Police arrested Dattatray Gade, who is the accused in the Swargate rape case, at around 1.30 a.m. on Friday. He was picked up from a sugarcane farm in Gunat village in Shirur taluka, where he was hiding. The police had deployed 13 teams comprising over 500 personnel and a dog squad for Gade’s look out who was missing since Tuesday after he raped a 26-year-old woman inside a bus in Swargate bus depot.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Nikhil Pingle led the team that nabbed Gade and later handed him over to Swargate police for further investigation.

Police sources said a hectic search was launched to arrest Gade in his home village, Gunat. Police personnel from the crime branch, drone cell, and dog squad from the surrounding districts were deployed. DCP Pingle said the villagers cooperated with the police during Gade’s search operation.

The police commissioner, Amritesh Kumar, said the preliminary medical examination of the accused revealed that rope wounds were visible on his neck; judging by these wounds, he may have tried to commit suicide. The accused has also confessed to this. However, his attempt failed because the rope broke, and by that time, the people came to the site. A team will be sent there to investigate whether he had actually attempted suicide.

Meanwhile, CM Fadnavis remarked on Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam’s comment that in the incident that took place in the Shivshahi bus, there was no resistance from the victim. Since there was no resistance, no one suspected this.

“Yogesh Kadam’s statement was taken differently. Swargate bus depot is situated in a crowded area. There were many people there. The bus where the crime took place was outside. Yogesh Kadam was trying to say that people did not notice the resistance,” said the Chief Minister.

He, however, added, “Kadam is a new Minister. Therefore, my advice to him is that we have to be more sensitive when speaking in such cases. If something goes wrong while speaking, it has a negative impact on the public mind.”

CM Fadnavis also had a word of advice for Textile Minister Sanjay Savkare, who earlier said that “such incidents happen not in Pune alone but in other parts of the country”. The CM asked him to be sensitive while making statements in such cases.