A Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus was stolen from the Sarasbaug area during the Palkhi ceremony in Pune on Wednesday. The thief, noticing the key inside the bus, took advantage of the situation and made off with the vehicle. An Unknown accused then dropped the bus in the Market Yard area, while the battery worth Rs 5,000 was missing from the bus. A case has been registered against the unknown thief at the Swargate police station.
Suresh Sonawane, the security officer of the Swargate Depot of PMPML, has lodged a complaint with the Swargate Police Station regarding the incident. Typically, PMPML buses operating from Swargate Depo are driven to the Poolgate Station in the defence area for parking after completing their rounds. However, due to limited parking space, some buses were stationed in the Swargate area. In this particular instance, due to the ongoing Palkhi ceremony, there was no available parking space at the Poolgate station in the defence area. As a result, a driver parked the bus in the Sanas ground area of Sarasbaug at night, inadvertently leaving the key inside the vehicle. The thief discovered the key and seized the opportunity to steal the bus in the middle of the night.
It was found that the thief had also vandalized the windows of two other buses in the vicinity. Following a complaint filed by the PMPML security officers, a case has been registered, and the police are currently conducting a thorough investigation.
