During the Palkhi ceremony in Pune on Wednesday, a Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus was stolen from the Sarasbaug area. Exploiting the presence of the key inside the bus, an opportunist thief seized the moment and absconded with the vehicle.
Later, the unidentified culprit abandoned the bus in the Market Yard area, leaving behind a missing battery valued at Rs 5,000. The Swargate police station has registered a case against the unidentified thief.
Following the incident, Suresh Sonawane, the security officer at Swargate Depot of PMPML, filed a complaint at the Swargate Police Station. Usually, after completing their routes, PMPML buses from Swargate Depot are driven to Poolgate Station in the defence area for parking. However, due to space constraints, some buses were stationed in the Swargate area. Unfortunately, during the Palkhi ceremony, there was no parking available at Poolgate station. Consequently, one driver parked the bus at night in the Sanas ground area of Sarasbaug, unintentionally leaving the key inside. Under cover of darkness, the thief discovered the key and took advantage of the opportunity to steal the bus.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that the thief had not only stolen the bus but also caused damage to the windows of two other nearby buses. In response to the complaint lodged by the PMPML security officers, a case has been registered, and the police are actively engaged in a comprehensive inquiry into the matter.