Pune: Two sub-inspectors and a police constable ran behind a stolen PMPML bus from Good Luck Chowk to Natraj Chowk and managed to enter the vehicle. Two of them pressed the brake with their hands when the driver tried to accelerate, averting a major tragedy on Saturday evening.
Brave Act by Police Officers
The three cops, along with a few citizens who had followed them inside, overpowered the "visibly disturbed driver" and stopped the vehicle. The incident began when sub-inspectors Ajay Misal and Sandeep Patil with police constable Ganesh Jadhav were on bandobust duty at Good Luck Chowk. Nearby, a protest organized by a group was ongoing. The bus entered the junction from the wrong direction. Initially, the police personnel thought a PMPML driver was driving the bus and that there were no passengers inside.
"We became suspicious when the bus went over the island right in the middle of Good Luck Chowk," police said. Senior inspector Girisha Nimbalkar of Deccan Gymkhana police told TOI: "The three officers showed presence of mind and averted a major tragedy. Many two-wheelers and cars were at the red signal at Natraj Chowk."
Details of the Incident
The driver, from Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand, had earlier slipped into a spare PMPML bus. He started the vehicle with an ignition key that had been left behind. He drove the vehicle for 1.5 km from Dengale Bridge to Good Luck Chowk. He then started driving into oncoming traffic on the road connecting Natraj Chowk on JM Road and Good Luck Chowk. He took a U-turn at Good Luck Chowk and again headed towards Natraj Chowk, where he was overpowered.
Police said, "A trained PMPML driver would never drive in such a manner. When the bus accelerated and headed towards Natraj Chowk again, we decided to give chase." The vehicle slowed down at one point, and Jadhav managed to climb through the driver's door, while Misal broke open the passenger door from the other side. The driver started to press the accelerator in panic, and at that moment, Patil and Jadhav pressed the brake pedal with their hands. Passersby helped the police, and Patil and Jadhav pulled the driver out of the seat.
Medical and Legal Proceedings
Senior inspector Girish Dighavkar of Shivajinagar police told TOI: "We have admitted the detained bus driver to Sassoon General Hospital. His medical report said he was not drunk. We have contacted his mother in Pauri Garhwal. She said he is her only child and had gone to Mumbai in search of a driver's job. She said she did not know why or how her son came to be in Pune."
"The PMPML bus driver had left the ignition key unattended, and the detained man simply got into the bus and drove it away. We will record the statement of the said PMPML driver and further legal action will be taken," added Dighavkar.
