Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a BEST conductor allegedly gave Xerox copies of tickets to passengers instead of official ones, gaining profit in the process. After eight months of investigation, a case has been registered against the bus conductor at Trombay police station. The best conductor has been identified as Rajendra Khunte. A departmental inquiry was initiated into Khunte. He has been suspended after an investigation found him guilty.
According to the complaint filed by bus inspector Ashok Bhau Chaure (56), appeared at Deonar Bus Depot (where Khunte worked) on April 20, 2023, at around 3.15 am to check the tickets of passengers of the bus traveling from Deonar Depot Mumbai to Kalamboli under Vashi Bit. The BEST bus arrived at the Vashi Highway bus stop at 5.45 am. He and his colleagues began checking tickets.
Khunte is suspected to have cheated the BEST administration financially by issuing Xeroxed tickets of similar collection tickets to passengers in official tickets for a long time. Further investigation is underway.
They became suspicious when they checked the ticket of an elderly female passenger. Khunte gave the woman an official ticket of Rs 20. However, tickets in the collection report were priced at Rs. 25. On being questioned, the passenger said that Khunte had given the ticket. The inspector checked Khunte at the bus stop at Maharashtra Nagar, Trombay. The ticket and cash were seized and an additional amount of Rs 112 was found in his possession.