A gang of four armed men robbed two passengers of a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, on the outskirts of Channapatna, in Ramanagaram district early on Thursday. They took away their cash and a gold chain.
According to the police, the armed men did not assault any of the passengers. The Kozhikode-Bengaluru bus had stopped at Dodda Maluru near Channapatna, a small town in Ramanagaram district known for its traditional non-toxic lacquerware toys, when the gang targeted it at 2.45 a.m.
Twenty-seven passengers were in the ordinary-category limited stop inter-state bus. While most of them were sleeping, a few had alighted the bus. The four armed men arrived on a motorcycle and three entered the bus on the pretext of enquiring about the destination, said R. Manjunath, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Channapatna subdivision).
Quoting the eyewitnesses, the officer added: “Everything happened within a minute. Three miscreants had covered their faces; they brandished a knife and collected a chain from a woman, who was seated in the bus, and a purse from another person, who was about to get into the bus, and sped away.”
Majority of the passengers were women and many of them had cash, ornaments and other valuables including electronic gadgets. The Kannada-speaking gang, after noticing the bus crew approaching, fled from the spot.
Surprisingly, no one noted the registration number of the motorcycle on which the miscreants arrived or attempted to raise alarm, Mr. Manjunath said and added that even the crew was unaware about the incident till the driver entered the vehicle.
The bus was immediately taken to the Channapatna Rural police station, where a complaint was lodged. Passengers were then sent to Bengaluru in other buses.
Barricades
Nakabandi (security barricades) was setup on the highway and other roads and a thorough checkup was conducted. But, that failed to yield any results.
This is the first such kind of incident that occurred on the highway. A team has been formed to nab the accused, the officer said.
