Special Correspondent
Pune: New claims are emerging daily in the Swargate rape case. Advocate Sumeet Pote, associated with the accused Dattatray Gade, has made a shocking statement, asserting that the accused and the victim had known each other for a month. He also claimed that a financial transaction of ₹7,500 took place between them at the time of the incident.
Advocate Pote stated, “With the court’s permission, I spoke to the accused, and he revealed that he had known the woman for 31 days. If one closely examines the CCTV footage, it shows the woman following the accused. There is no sign of force being used while he takes her along. Even when they got off the bus, the accused stepped down first, followed by the woman. Moreover, despite being just 50 meters away from the Swargate Police Station, she did not file a complaint immediately. Instead, she traveled to her hometown and later returned to Swargate via Hadapsar to lodge a complaint.”
The lawyer further claimed, “I had given the woman ₹7,500 in cash, which led to a dispute between them. The accused then left without any coercion. He had offered to pay her online, but she insisted on receiving cash. So, he handed over the money in cash. After my argument in court, I had a conversation with the accused, but I have not conveyed anything about this to the court.”
