A man in Andhra Pradesh managed to steal a bus belonging to the state's Road Transport Corporation (RTC) from the Dharmavaram bus depot in Anantapur district. The incident took place on Friday during lunch hour as the drivers and conductors had taken a break.
Despite being immediately spotted as the vehicle moved, the accused managed to flee with the bus and was caught an hour later, nearly 40 km away. The police who were informed of the incident, intercepted the stolen vehicle, which they said was on its way to the Karnataka border via the Bengaluru highway.
Speaking to TNM, an official of the Dharmavaram town police station said that the accused, identified as 33-year-old Muzammil Khan, was in an inebriated condition when he was caught. The accused, a native of Karnataka, was a lorry driver who is said to have entered Andhra as he transported some goods.
Speaking to reporters, the driver of the RTC bus said, "We took another vehicle and started chasing the stolen vehicle. Meanwhile, we informed the police who set up a trap ahead and intercepted the bus."
The accused may have been able to steal the bus as it was parked just outside the depot, reports stated. The Transport Department has begun an inquiry into the incident.
Meanwhile, the police said that a case had been registered and further investigation is underway.
It was earlier this week that the APSRTC partially resumed its services after nearly two months of staying off the roads due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
APSRTC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Madireddy Pratap earlier said that only 17 percent of buses — 1,683 buses on 436 routes, were being operated for now and services remain suspended in the cities of Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
Read: