Pune/IBNS: A 26-year-old woman was raped inside a bus early Tuesday morning while being parked in the middle of Pune's busy Swargate Bus Stand, which is around 100 metres from a police station.

The accused has been named Dattatraya Ramdas, who was identified through a CCTV feed.

Eight special police teams have been formed and a canine sniffer unit has been deployed to track the accused. Ramdas, 36, already has a criminal record.

The bus in which the young woman, a domestic worker travelling to her home village of Phaltan in Satara district, was raped has been vandalised, reports said.

According to the police, the crime took place sometime between 5.45 am and 6.30 am.

A preliminary scan of CCTV footage shows the alleged rapist talking to the victim, who said Ramdas addressed her as 'didi', or 'sister'.

According to the woman, he asked after her destination and told her the parked vehicle, which had no lights, would take her there.

The woman said the accused led her to the bus and, when she hesitated, pointing out the lights were not on, he told her the other passengers were sleeping and that was why it was dark.

She said the moment she entered the bus, Ramdas jumped in, locked the door, and raped her.

After that, she boarded a second bus on which her friend was travelling and narrated the incident. The friend immediately told her to report the matter to the cops.

The police said they had immediately filed a complaint and accessed the CCTV footage, leading to their investigation.

The bus stand is one of the largest depots by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar called the incident "extremely unfortunate, distressing, infuriating".

Pawar added that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken note of it and passed on necessary instructions to the police.

"The incident of rape on one of our sisters at the Swargate bus station in Pune is extremely unfortunate, distressing, infuriating to all in a civilized society, and one that makes us hang our heads in shame. The crime committed by the accused in this case is unforgivable, and there can be no punishment other than hanging. I have personally instructed the Pune Police Commissioner to take a hands-on approach in investigating this matter and to arrest the accused immediately," Pawar posted on X.

"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also taken this crime seriously and has given necessary instructions to the police. The accused will be arrested at the earliest by the police, and for ensuring that he receives the harshest punishment under the law, the state government will take all steps, this assurance I give to all my brothers, sisters, and mothers of Maharashtra. Instructions have been given to the Minister of Women and Child Development as well as the Chairperson of the State Women's Commission to provide justice, mental support, and all possible assistance to the victim sister," Pawar added.

Quite predictably, the crime gave mileage to the opposition with Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal claiming that incidents of rape were on the rise in the state and referenced the horrific Nirbhaya incident in Delhi in 2012.

He also slammed the BJP-led government in the state for focusing on 'freebies' for women at the cost of their safety.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vasant More along with other party leaders even held a protest at the Swargate bus stand over the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman.

NCP's Supriya Sule, whose party faction is allied with the Congress, raised concern over the rape occurring in an area that is supposed to be routinely patrolled by the cops.

".. shows that anti-social elements do not have any fear of law. The home department has failed to curb crime in Pune," she said.

The incident has brought back chilling memories of the 2012 Delhi rape and murder case in which a 22-year-old physiotherapy intern was beaten, gang-raped, and tortured in a private bus that she boarded with her male friend.

She succumbed to her injuries 11 days after her assault by six men.