Pune: The Shivajinagar court has remanded Dattatray Gade—the accused in the Swargate MSRTC bus rape case—to 14 days of judicial custody. Gade had previously been under 12 days of police custody, which ended on March 12. Following this, he was produced before the court, where authorities sought his transfer to judicial custody.
Investigation and Security Arrangements
During his police custody, Gade was taken to various crime scenes as part of the investigation. The police:
Inspected the field where he hid after the crime
Collected crucial evidence from the area
Recorded statements from individuals who interacted with him
To prevent any disturbances, heavy police security was deployed outside the court premises on Wednesday while he was presented before the judge.
Court Proceedings and Legal Arguments
The Crime Branch submitted an official report requesting judicial custody for Gade. Meanwhile, the defense team made multiple requests:
Advocate Sumeet Pote sought permission to speak with Gade inside the courtroom
The defense requested that the accused be provided with clothing
Advocate Wajed Khan-Bidkar represented Gade, while Asim Sarode argued for the complainant
Search for the Missing Mobile Phone
The mobile phone that Gade had on the day of the incident remains missing. Investigators believe it may contain crucial evidence linked to the crime. The police informed the court about ongoing efforts to recover the phone.
Investigation Developments So Far
The police have completed several key steps in the investigation:
Crime scene documentation and forensic inspection
Victim’s official statement recorded in court
Witnesses questioned for further evidence
Clothing of both the accused and victim seized for forensic examination
DNA samples of both the accused and complainant collected
It was revealed that Gade has seven prior criminal cases against him.
