- The transport company manager was arrested, raising total arrests to four in the bus fire case
- The manager was questioned in Delhi and sent to 14 days judicial custody
- Drivers and conductors reported vehicle issues, including gearbox problems, which were ignored
The manager of the transport company that operated the sleeper bus which caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway, killing nine people, has been arrested, taking the number of arrests in the case to four, police officials said on Saturday.
The arrested manager, identified as Vikas, was called for questioning from Delhi's Kashmere Gate on Friday and subsequently arrested. He was produced before a court and sent to 14 days' judicial custody, while the three people arrested earlier in the case are also in judicial custody, a police officer said.
"The investigation has found that the bus' drivers and conductors had informed the transport company through the manager about problems in the vehicle, including an issue with the gearbox, but the complaints were allegedly ignored, an official said. The incident happened a few days later," the official said.
Police said the investigation is also being conducted with the assistance of the Transport Department and further action would be taken soon.
The bus, travelling from Kashmere Gate in Delhi to Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh, caught fire around 11.20 pm on Wednesday near the 33-km milestone of the Yamuna Expressway, killing nine of the 35 passengers onboard, officials said.
Police had earlier arrested two drivers, Pawan and Yogesh Dixit, and conductor Rohit, all residents of Kanpur Dehat. The accused allegedly abandoned the bus and fled after it caught fire.
An FIR was registered under BNS sections 281 (rash driving), 125(b) (endangering life) and 105 (culpable homicide), among others. The bus, bearing registration number BR32PA8647, was operated by Raj Kalpana Travel Agency of Madhya Pradesh and was registered in Madhubani, Bihar, according to the Regional Transport Office.
The vehicle had accumulated fines of Rs 1.75 lakh through 19 challans, Gautam Buddh Nagar RTO Public Transport Officer Rajesh Mohan had said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
