Pune's Swargate ST depot rape case has taken a political turn after images surfaced linking suspect Dattatray Gade to two political leaders from Shirur tehsil. Gade, a wanted criminal, remains absconding, while controversy brews over his alleged political connections.A birthday poster from August 2023 of former Shirur MLA Ashok Pawar (NCP-SP) recently surfaced online, featuring Gade’s photo alongside several others. Pawar, however, denied any connection, instead alleging that Gade worked closely with current NCP MLA Mauli Katke, who defeated him in the 2024 assembly polls, as per a report in Times of India. The photos, shared by several media outlets, have sparked a political row.Also read: 'Ignore… Soja tu': Agra techie Manav Sharma's wife's WhatsApp chats with sister-in-law surface (WATCH)MLA Pawar claimed that Gade was involved in organizing religious trips to Ujjain on behalf of Katke and demanded an investigation into his call records and mobile data. “Police should examine his phone to uncover whom he was working for,” he stated on Thursday, without directly naming Katke, says TOI report.Adding fuel to the fire, images circulating on social media purportedly show Gade’s mobile display picture featuring Katke, along with several pictures of them together. However, Katke strongly refuted any ties with the fugitive suspect.“I have no connection with Gade. Being an MLA, many people take pictures with me. I only learned about his background through the media. I demand the harshest punishment for him,” Katke asserted.As the political blame game escalates, law enforcement agencies remain focused on Gade, whose criminal history has now sparked a much larger controversy.Also Read: 'What is that?!' Bengaluru man's smooth ride on electric unicycle fuels hilarious reactions online (WATCH)