A court in Pune has found Santosh Mane, a bus driver, guilty of murder. In January last year, Mr Mane stole a public bus and went on a rampage killing nine people and injuring nearly 30 others. The sentencing will take place on April 8.
Here are 10 big facts in this story:
- After hijacking an empty bus, Mr Mane, 39, drove the vehicle down the wrong side of some of Pune's busiest streets.
- Mr Mane had been a driver with the state transport corporation for 11 years.
- His lawyers had argued that he should be acquitted because he is mentally unsound.
- The judge rejected that defense outright, and said Mr Mane's intent was clear: "to kill or cause grievous injuries."
- The judge said that Mr Mane had asked officials to shorten his duty hours the night before he went on his rampage.
- His request was refused because there was a shortage of drivers.
- The next morning, he grabbed a bus whose driver had gone into the bus depot's office to collect some documents.
- His crazed drive lasted nearly 45 minutes during morning rush hour. Eyewitnesses say they flung schoolchildren out of his way as he steered wildly through about 20 kilometres.
- Traffic marshals had fired at the bus to force Mr Mane to stop. But it took a college student to finally stop the bus driver. He managed to climb onto the bus and over-power Mr Mane.
- The court today said that Mr Mane had been found guilty and penalised on two earlier occasions for rash and negligent driving.
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