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Yavatmal
(Maharashtra): In a bizarre incident, a former employee
of the state transport department stole a bus to convince his
estranged wife and children that he was no longer jobless, said an
official here.
Devendra M. Nimgaokar, 35, driver with the Maharashtra State Road
Transport Corporation (MSRTC), was sacked in 2007 for prolonged
absenteeism from duty and alcoholism, said Shivaji Targude, an
official of Wadgaon police station in Yavatmal, eastern
Maharashtra.
"Nimgaokar's mother and sister had passed away a few years ago and
he was suffering from depression. The Wani ST (state transport)
Depot, where he was employed used to deploy him on long distance
routes. He was reluctant to go on these and often bunked duties,"
Targude told IANS Saturday.
As a consequence, Nimgaokar was sacked from the MSRTC, following
which his wife and two children left him to live with his in-laws
in Ichhora village, near Ladkhed in this southern Vidarbha
district.
On May 21, a bus (No. MH-40-8629) of the Wani depot made a regular
night halt at the Yavatmal bus depot.
Sensing an opportunity, Nimgaokar allegedly got into it and sped
off to his wife's village in order to convince her that he had
been re-instated in service. It is not known if the bus had
auto-ignition system or the ignition keys were left behind by the
driver.
There was panic Tuesday morning (May 22), when the vacant ST bus
was discovered missing from the Yavatmal bus depot.
Top MSRTC and police swung into action and messages were relayed
across the district in an effort to trace the missing bus.
It was finally found abandoned near Icchora village by the
investigating team comprising of Sarjerao Gaekwad, Deepak Wanole
and Iqbal Sheikh.
Two days later, the police also managed to trace Nimgaokar, who
was hiding in Icchora village.
He was arrested and was presented before a local court Friday,
which granted him bail till June 6, Targude said.
The incident has sent alarm bells ringing through the MSRTC
network, which witnessed a similar episode in Pune on January 25
this year.
A mentally disturbed driver, Santosh Mane, had hijacked a state
transport bus and mowed down nine people and injured four more
before he was caught.
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