Man Steals Govt Bus at Night From Chincholi Depot, Recovered From Telangana
Deputy SP (Chincholi) Rudresh Ujjanakoppa said, “The accused is yet to be nabbed. We are searching from all angles.”
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In a bizarre incident of thievery, a man walked into the Chincholi depot in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district in the middle of the night on Monday, 20 February, and stole a bus operated by the Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC).
What happened: As per the police, bus driver Ayub Khan and conductor Erappa had parked the public transport vehicle in the depot at 9 pm on Monday.
After parking the bus, which was driven in from Bidar, the driver and conductor slept in the restroom of the depot, Hindustan Times reported
When the duo woke up to head back to Bidar, the bus was not there.
It was seen in CCTV footage that a person stole the bus at 3.30 am and drove it towards Telangana
Where did the bus go? Following a complaint, the Kalaburagi district Superintendent of Police (SP) Isha Pant formed two police teams to trace the bus, and recovered the bus from Tondur in Telangana, nearly 31 km from Chincholi.
Bidar depot 2 manager Raja Shekar was quoted as saying, "We were shocked as the bus was stolen from the stand itself is a bizarre incident…The bus stand has no watchman or gates. A thief using duplicate keys drove the bus as we filled diesel the previous day."
Who stole the bus? While a case has been registered at Chincholi police station, SP Pant said, "We have clues about the thief and would nab him soon."
Not the first time: In a similar case in October 2021, a gang had reportedly stolen a government bus from inside a bus stand in Tumakuru district. Later, it was found out that the thieves had abandoned the vehicle 30 km away and stolen diesel from the bus.
Speaking to The Quint, Deputy SP (Chincholi) Rudresh S Ujjanakoppa, said, “The accused is yet to be nabbed. We are searching from all angles.” He confirmed, however, that no diesel was stolen and the bus had been found in the same condition.
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