The police on Thursday announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information about the history-sheeter who allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside a bus at Pune’s Swargate bus station and deployed drones as part of their manhunt, officials said….

The police on Thursday announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information about the history-sheeter who allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside a bus at Pune’s Swargate bus station and deployed drones as part of their manhunt, officials said.

Amid the frantic police efforts to make a breakthrough, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut drew parallels between the crime and the 2012 Delhi gang rape and targeted Pune Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar over law and order.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the government would try to ensure capital punishment for the culprit, even as Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane pitched for restarting the “encounter squad”.

The accused, Dattatray Ramdas Gade (37), is named in half a dozen cases of theft, robbery and chain-snatching in Pune and Ahilyanagar. He has been out on bail since 2019 in one of the offences.

As Gade, a resident of Gunat village in Pune, remained at large for over two days, officials said 13 police teams had been formed to nab him. “A reward of Rs 1 lakh will be given to the person providing information about his whereabouts,” Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said.

The police also launched a search operation at Gunat village, including in sugarcane fields, with drones and dog squads. Swargate in Pune is one of the largest bus depots of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).

According to the survivor, she was waiting for a bus for Phaltan in Satara district at one of the platforms around 5.45 am on Tuesday, when Gade engaged her in conversation, calling her “didi” (sister), and said the bus for Satara had arrived at another platform.

He took her to an empty Shiv Shahi AC bus parked elsewhere on the premises. As the lights inside the bus were not on, she hesitated to get in but the man convinced her that it was the right vehicle. Gade then followed her and raped her, the woman, who works in the medical field, told the police.