Did Pune Rape Accused Attempt Suicide Before Arrest? Police Spot Ligature Marks on His Neck

Pune bus rape case: Dattatray Ramdas Gade, the main accused in the horrific Pune Bus Rape case was arrested on Friday after a massive manhunt. According to police, ligature marks were spotted on the neck of the accused, suggesting he may have tried to attempt suicide before his arrest.

37-year-old Gade had been hiding in a paddy field in a village in Shirur tehsil. Pune police deployed sniffer dogs and drones to track down and locate his hideout.

Pune Bus Rape Accused Attempted Suicide

Amitesh Kumar, Pune Police Commissioner, was quoted as saying by a news agency, "According to the primary medical report, a ligature mark was found on the accused. It is suspected that he attempted suicide. We are waiting for the final report,"

Also Read: Pune Rape Case Accused Confesses to Raping 26-Year-Old Woman in a Parked Bus

Gade turned off his mobile, but the police traced him to his village and learned he had visited a house asking for water.

The police said Gade's request for food and water from a family led to his arrest.

Rape Accused Arrested After 70+ Hour Manhunt

Gade, a person with a criminal history, fled to his native place Shirur after raping a 26-year-old woman inside a bus. The Pune police deployed drones and a dog squad in a village Pune's Shirur tehsil to arrested the accused.

Police said, "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 family alerted the police about the accused, who was later found hiding in a paddy field.

Joint commissioner of police Ranjan Kumar Sharma also visited the village and briefed his officers.

The defendant is a repeat offender with multiple charges including robbery, theft, and chain-snatching, has been out on bail since 2019. He is scheduled to appear in Pune Court today, where the police are expected to seek custody for further questioning and investigation.