Pune Police have arrested Dattatray Ramdas Gade, the prime accused in the horrific rape incident at Pune's Swargate bus depot. Gade was nabbed from a village in Shirur Tehsil after being on the run since Tuesday.

The shocking crime occurred when the 26-year-old survivor, a working woman, was waiting for a bus to Phaltan, about 100 km from Pune. Gade allegedly misled her, claiming her bus was parked elsewhere, and lured her into a parked MSRTC Shivshahi bus, where he sexually assaulted her.

In response to growing outrage, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has ordered a statewide security audit of all bus depots and stations. He also directed the removal of all unregistered buses and seized vehicles from depots by April 15 to prevent similar incidents. Additionally, Sarnaik emphasized deploying more female security guards and filling the vacant Chief Security and Vigilance Officer post with an IPS officer.

Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SCP workers staged a massive protest at the Swargate depot, demanding capital punishment for the accused and stricter measures to ensure women's safety. The Transport Minister has also ordered a departmental inquiry against the Assistant Transport Superintendent and the Swargate Bus Depot Manager.