Special Correspondent
Pune: A shocking revelation has emerged in the police investigation of the Swargate rape case, where the accused, Dattatray Gade, was found to be deceiving women by pretending to be a police officer.
Gade has been identified as a habitual offender. Last year, the Swargate police arrested him for mobile theft, during which a photograph of him in a police uniform was found on his phone. He allegedly approached young women under the pretext of guiding them through police recruitment. However, the source of his police uniform remains unknown. So far, six cases have been registered against him.
According to police reports, Gade frequently roamed around the Swargate police station area. At times, he pretended to be an ST bus conductor, while at other times, he posed as a police officer to deceive and manipulate women.
A two-year analysis of his call records has revealed that he was not only active around Swargate bus stand but also in areas like Shivajinagar, Pune Station, Shirur, Ahilyanagar, and Solapur bus stands. However, he spent most of his time at the Swargate bus station.
Gade deliberately targeted crowded areas such as Swargate, Shivajinagar, and Pune Station, where there is a high influx of male and female passengers. Taking advantage of the situation, he engaged in criminal activities, as suspected by the police.
The accused was arrested after he raped a young woman traveling to Phaltan in the early hours inside a Shivshahi bus. He is currently in police custody as further investigations continue.
