Pune rape case: Will refuse police reward money, says Sarpanch of accused’s village

Gunat Sarpanch Ramdas Kakde said that this reward money was causing problems as multiple villagers are claiming that they have caught Gade or provided information regarding him.

“Because of the reward money various people are saying that they caught him or provided the information. We (panchayat) want to have a meeting where we will say that we don’t want a single rupee of the reward. We have spoken to the people who helped the police catch the accused and they have also agreed. The village has been defamed because of this incident. This is not something to be proud of,” he said.

Gunat is a small village around 75 km away from Pune city and 20 km away from Shirur.

With a population of around 3,500, the village is predominantly settled by the Maratha community.

Explaining how the villagers helped the police apprehend the accused, Kakde said, “First we heard that the police were looking for the accused in Shikrapur and Shirur. But later Gunat’s name was everywhere and the villagers became concerned. We then decided to help the police in their search operation. The accused visited two houses to have water and both of them informed the police about him. Due to this, his location was known and a drone was able to spot him.”

The Pune police had said that the accused is a history-sheeter and was earlier booked in six criminal cases. The defence lawyers have claimed in court that Gade did not rape the victim but that both had consensual physical relations.

Meanwhile, Shubham Gade, cousin brother of the accused, claimed that Gade was innocent and “a victim of injustice.”

“He ran away for a couple of days as he was afraid,” he added,

Another villager, on the condition of anonymity, said that the accused’s house in the village had been photographed by the media multiple times, causing discomfort to the family members.

“If he (Gade) is found guilty, then hang him. I have no sympathy for him. But the media has been coming here for the last three days, clicking photos of his house. What’s the point of showing the house? His wife, mother, son, and grandmother stay here. The media has been harassing them for comments but no one is seeing their pain,” the villager said.