Andhra bus tragedy: Driver, travel company owner arrested

A day after the tragic mishap in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh, in which 45 passengers of a Volvo bus were burnt alive after it caught fire, the police on Thursday arrested the owner of the bus operator company and its driver.

Owner of Jabbar Travels, Shakeel Jabbar and driver Feroze were arrested from Kothakota in Mahabubnagar district, Wanaparthy Deputy Superintendent of Police Srinivas Reddy told PTI over phone.

The owner and the driver were booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Act, he said.

The owner failed to have a second driver in the bus, allowed excess passengers, failed to maintain a list of passengers and allowed unaccounted-for cargo, the DSP said.

Initial probe revealed that driver Feroze jumped out when the bus burst into flames, leaving the passengers to their fate, Reddy said. While Fayaz, the helper, raised alarm after seeing flames and saved some of the passengers, getting burn injuries himself in the process.

Forty-five passengers, including a baby girl, were charred to death and seven others were injured when the luxury bus was engulfed in flames near Palem village early hours on Wednesday.

Fifty-two persons including 50 passengers were traveling in the ill-fated Volvo bus.

Bangalore-based Jabbar Travels had leased the bus, which has Andhra Pradesh number plate and sitting capacity of 43+2.