Special Correspondent
Pune: While Pune police have begun narrating a swift operation leading to the arrest of Dattatray Gade, the accused in the Swargate rape case, villagers from Gunat have countered these claims, asserting that it was they who apprehended Gade, not the police. A villager, Ganesh Gavhane, alleged that some police officers “snatched” the accused from their custody.
Gade was arrested by Swargate police in the early hours of Friday, following a three-day manhunt. Despite efforts, Gade had evaded capture until police, acting on confirmed intelligence that he was hiding in Gunat, mobilized a large force to surround the village. However, villagers claim they located and detained Gade first.
Ganesh Gavhane, Sainath Valu, and other villagers stated that they caught Gade near the Chandan settlement area adjacent to the GPS Cricket Ground in Gunat. Gavhane alleged that after capturing Gade, they informed officers from the Crime Branch, but police later took custody of the accused. “The police snatched him from us,” Gavhane claimed.
Earlier, Pune police had appealed to the public for help in locating Gade and announced a ₹1 lakh reward for information. This has now led to a dispute over who deserves credit for the arrest.
According to police, after confirming Gade was in Gunat, they cordoned off the village and launched an extensive search. However, by evening, the operation was paused due to darkness. Police claimed Gade was eventually spotted in a field near the village around 1:30 AM, leading to his arrest.
Villagers, however, insist Gade was already in their custody by then. They revealed that Gade had visited the home of a relative, Mahesh Bahirat, around 10:30 PM, where he admitted his mistake, took a water bottle, and left. Bahirat’s family alerted police, who then searched the area with a dog squad. The squad traced Gade’s scent from a discarded shirt but lost the trail.
Gade reportedly hid in a chari (temporary shelter) near his relative’s home, where villagers found him before police arrived.
The conflicting accounts have raised questions about the arrest’s authenticity, with villagers demanding recognition for their role. Police maintain their official version, but the community’s claims highlight tensions over credit in high-profile cases.
