In a bizarre incident that took place in Tandur, Vikarabad district, an RTC bus with 15 passengers was hijacked by an unidentified man when the driver and conductor went on a dinner break. On Sunday at 9 pm, the last bus from Tandur depot, Karankote to Ogipur was to depart. The passengers had boarded the bus, but the driver and conductor halted the bus for a brief time to have dinner. A couple of minutes later, the bus started but what the passengers did not realise for some time was that it was not the driver of the bus at the wheel.
It was only when the man began to drive the bus rashly did the passengers realise something was amiss. The worried passengers went up to the driver and realised he was drunk. Complaining about his negligent driving, they argued with him and questioned where the conductor was, for which he said that the conductor was unwell and he would collect the bus fare in a bit.
However, as he continued driving rashly, the passengers had called up the depot manager and complained that the driver was creating a ruckus.
Meanwhile, the bus driver and conductor left behind at the stop had begun searching for the bus in the vicinity and had apprised the matter to the depot manager.
The depot manager was in for a rude shock when he learnt that the bus had been hijacked and told the passengers that the person driving the vehicle was not the actual driver. The bus was still in Tandur town — a kilometre away from the depot. The depot manager promptly informed the staff of the bus’s location.
The panicked passengers got into a heated argument with the driver, and to the passengers’ relief, he halted the bus near Tandur police station and ran away.
“By the time our staff reached the spot the offender had fled from the scene,” Tandur depot manager Rajashekar told TNM.
The depot manager filed a complaint with the Tandur police about the incident. The police also took statements from the passengers. After the brief drama, the original bus driver and conductor took hold of the bus and continued the journey.
Meanwhile, the police have filed an FIR and are looking for the drunk man.