A 20-year-old man has been detained in Pune after allegedly stealing a passenger bus and driving it recklessly on the wrong side of the road, sparking panic among commuters.
Police have detained a 20-year-old man after he allegedly attempted to steal a passenger bus and drove it on the wrong side of the road in Pune, officials said on Sunday.
The incident occurred near the Deccan bus stand at around 5.30 pm on Saturday. The bus belonged to the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML).
"Prima facie, the man, identified as Gopal Balramsingh Rana, is a bus driver currently working at a private company. He allegedly drove away with the PMPML bus from the Dengle Bridge and was seen driving on the wrong side of the road before reaching Goodluck Chowk," a police official said.
Though the bus had no passengers, the incident sparked panic among commuters. Some tried to stop the vehicle, while others pulled the accused out of the driver's seat. No casualties were reported, the police said.
"We are looking into whether he was under the influence of alcohol," the official said, adding that a probe was underway into the incident.
The Shivajinagar police have registered a case against the accused.