Pune bus rape: Request for water, food led to accused's arrest from paddy field in Shirur
Pune (PTI): A request for food and water from a house led to the arrest of a 37-year-old man on the run after allegedly raping a woman inside a bus at Swargate bus station in Pune, police said on Friday.
The accused, Dattatray Ramdas Gade, was apprehended from a paddy field following an extensive search operation with the help of drones and sniffer dogs around midnight in Shirur tehsil.
Pune police have said a ligature mark was found on the accused's neck, raising suspicion that he might have attempted suicide.
A senior police officer said, "Gade was brought to Pune by 2 am. He was sent for a medical examination and formally arrested. The accused will be produced in court later in the day."
Gade, a history-sheeter, fled to his native place in Shirur after allegedly sexually assaulting a 26-year-old woman inside a state transport bus at Swargate bus station in the early hours of Tuesday.
According to sources, the accused switched off his mobile phone, but the police managed to reach his village and found out he had visited a house requesting water.
Pune police on Thursday deployed drones and a dog squad in Gunat village to nab the accused, and 13 teams were part of the search operation, an official said.
Joint commissioner of police Ranjan Kumar Sharma also visited the village and briefed his officers, he 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 official said.
He said the family informed the police about the accused's presence in the area, after which the police team resumed the search.
The official said the accused was seen hiding in a paddy field nearby and was apprehended.
Talking to reporters, Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said, "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."
The senior official thanked the residents of Gunat village who helped the police in the search operation.
"The accused will be produced in court today. A special unit will be formed to investigate the incident. We will try to take the case to a fast-track court, and a special councillor will be appointed," he said.
Kumar said the security and safety audit of the Swargate bus depot has concluded.
"We have analysed points such as security, doors of buses, dark spots and more. We will discuss these with the state transport department, and a formal action will be implemented soon."
Gade is named in half a dozen theft, robbery and chain-snatching cases in Pune and Ahilyanagar districts. He has been out on bail since 2019 in one of the offences.
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Rupee falls 28 paise to 94.77 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 28 paise to 94.77 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday as market sentiment took a dramatic turn after reports emerged that the US and Iran are discussing a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at reducing tensions and reopening negotiations.
Forex traders said Brent oil prices, which had fallen to USD 98 on the US-Iran peace deal, edged slightly higher to USD 101 per barrel after investors weighed the prospects for a Middle East peace deal.
Moreover, factors such as unabated foreign capital outflows amid rising geopolitical uncertainties further dented investor sentiment.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 94.77 against the US dollar, registering a fall of 28 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee appreciated 69 paise to close at 94.49 against the US dollar.
"Markets are currently focused on the critical 48-hour window during which the US expects Tehran’s formal response through Pakistani mediators," said CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 98.01, down 0.01 per cent.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.65 per cent at USD 101.83 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex declined 160.24 points to 77,798.28 in early trade, while the Nifty was down 30.25 points to 24,300.70.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 5,834.90 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
On the domestic macroeconomic front, the country's goods and services exports rose 4.6 per cent to an all-time high of USD 863.11 billion during 2025-26, up from USD 825.26 billion in 2024-25, despite global economic uncertainties, according to revised commerce ministry data.
Merchandise exports grew 0.93 per cent to USD 441.78 billion in the last fiscal year from USD 437.70 billion in 2024-25, the data showed.
