Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi
Udupi, Jul 4: The Manipal police have arrested a 20-year-old school bus conductor for allegedly filing a false complaint after investigation revealed that he himself, and not the driver named in his complaint, was behind the wheel of a school bus involved in an accident that left several students injured.
The accident occurred at around 8.05 am on June 25 near Syndicate Circle Down on National Highway 169(A), opposite Central Park Hotel, within the limits of Manipal police station. The school bus bearing registration number KA-19-AB-5977, belonging to Al-Ibaadah School, Perampalli, rammed into a road divider, resulting in injuries to several schoolchildren on board.
Following the accident, the bus conductor, Mohammed Rahij (20), a resident of Katapadi, lodged a complaint claiming that his father, Rizwan, was driving the bus at the time of the incident. Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Sections 281 and 125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
However, during investigation, police examined CCTV footage from the accident spot, which revealed that Mohammed Rahij himself was driving the bus at the time of the crash. Further inquiry also confirmed that he did not possess a valid driving licence.
Police subsequently invoked Sections 110 and 229 of the BNS against the accused for allegedly giving false information and related offences. Investigators further found that the owners of the school bus had permitted an unlicensed person to operate the vehicle despite the risk posed to the safety of schoolchildren. Accordingly, legal action has also been initiated against the vehicle owners.
Mohammed Rahij was arrested on July 3 and produced before the court, which remanded him to judicial custody. Further investigation is under way.