Pune/IBNS: The Pune man, who is on the run after allegedly raping a young woman just, 100 metres from a police station, inside 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 on Thursday afternoon.

According to reports, the police had deployed eight special teams, sniffer dogs, and drones as part of an ongoing search operation within the vast tracts of sugarcane crops.

Drones are required in the search operation as each plant can grow up to 10 feet in height, making it difficult, if not impossible, for the police.

The man, identified as Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, fled 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 reward of Rs. 1 lakh has also been announced.

The 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.

The accused Ramdas, 36, already has a criminal record in cases of theft, robbery, and chain-snatching in Pune and Ahilyanagar district. He has been out on bail since 2019 in one of the offences.

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

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.