A Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) bus stolen from outside the Thapar Inter-state Bus Terminal here on the intervening night of August 28 and 29 was found hours after the theft nearly 21 km away near Dhatt village in Jagraon, stripped of all seven tyres, including the spare, and two batteries, police said.
Efforts are on to arrest them, they added. However, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Karnail Singh, in-charge of the bus stand police post, denied any delay on the part of the police. “We were not initially informed about the theft and that the complainant approached us later. The complainant had himself traced the bus and then got its tyres and batteries replaced so it could be put back into operation.
The Division Number 5 police registered an FIR against unidentified persons on Sunday, eight days after the theft. The bus driver, Gurwinder Singh, who operates the PRTC bus on contract, had parked the vehicle outside the bus terminal on the night of August 28. When he returned to the spot around 7.30 pm on August 29, he found the bus missing.
Police said they have obtained CCTV footage of the vehicle allegedly used in the crime, traced its registration number and identified the suspects. We have now received his complaint and initiated action,” the ASI said. The police have obtained CCTV footage showing the Bolero pickup used in the theft and traced its registration number, according to the ASI. “The suspects have been identified and efforts are underway to arrest them,” he added.
