Pune Bus Rape Accused Hiding In Sugarcane Field? Cops Use Drones

Pune:

The Pune man on the run after allegedly raping a young woman – 100 metres from a police station and in a bus parked inside the city’s bus Swargate Bus Stand – may be hiding in a field full of sugarcane plants near his hometown, police sources told NDTV Thursday afternoon.

Sources said the police had deployed sniffer dogs and drones as part of an ongoing search operation within the vast tracts of sugarcane crop. Drones are required because each plant can grow up to 10 feet in height, making it difficult, if not impossible, for police teams to search the farmed area on foot.

Sources also said the man – identified as Dattatraya Ramdas Gade – slipped through the dragnet thrown around the city by hiding in a truck carrying vegetables. He made his way to his hometown, where he changed his clothes and shoes.

The police had set up 13 special teams, including eight from the Crime Branch, to track him down, and spoke to family members and known associates. A Rs 1 lakh reward was also announced.