Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, Oct 7: In a bizarre incident that occurred in the city, a youth, said to be mentally sick, stole a parked bus from Ullal and drove all the way to Udupi. The owner of the bus called up his friends in Udupi and the bus was stopped at Santhekatte by the police. No case stands filed in this matter as the youth, who did this strange act, is said to be suffering from mental illness.
Niphaz (20) stole the bus that runs service between State Bank and Ullal. This bus was parked in the night at a local service station in Ullal. Niphaz, who works in the service station, stole the bus and drove it towards Udupi.
The said bus was parked on the night of Saturday near the bus stand adjacent to Ullal town municipality. All the buses plying to Ullal are parked in this same bus stand. The drivers generally keep the ignition key of the bus under the driver's seat as the cleaner of the bus requires the same to clean it in the morning. The cleaners of other city buses that were parked in the same area were cleaning the buses till late in the night as Sunday was Ayudha Pooja for the buses. They had left at around 3 am in the morning. However, when the cleaner of bus belonging to A R Travels came in the morning at around 5.30 am to clean the bus, to his utter surprise, the bus was missing.
The cleaner of A R Travels bus immediately informed that matter to the driver of the bus Latif, who in turn conveyed the issue to the owner of the bus. When the owner of the bus contacted the police, he was shocked to hear from the police that the bus was moving on Udupi route. Accordingly, the friends of bus owner stopped the bus at Santhekatte and handed over the same to Udupi police.
Niphaz, the youth who drove the bus from Ullal to Udupi, was brought to Ullal by the Ullal police with the help of the owner of the bus. The bus has been damaged at several places as the Niphaz hit the bus to the road dividers at several areas.
Niphaz had called up his father as he was driving the bus towards Udupi and told him that he was going to a holy place. When his father asked him how he was going, he said that he was going by bus. Niphaz's father immediately called the Ullal police and informed the same to them. This helped the police to track the bus.
Dilraj Alva, president of Dakshina Kannada Bus Owners' Association said, "Theft of the batteries and diesel from parked city buses take place since a long time. Now people have gone to the extent of stealing the bus itself. Suitable inquiry needs to be done in this case. Bus owners have to be alert also."