Three accused in 2023 Gurugram bus fire case go missing after bail

Following their repeated absence, the court cancelled their bail and forfeited their bail bonds on November 21, 2025

The three men accused in the November 2023 Gurugram bus fire that killed four people, including a pregnant woman and two girls, have become untraceable after securing bail, a police officer said on Friday.

On the night of November 8, 2023, an Arunachal Pradesh-registered bus travelling to Uttar Pradesh with 45 daily-wage workers and their families from the interstate bus depot in Sector 12 caught fire, killing four people. (HT Archive)

The recent bus fire in Greater Noida, which killed nine passengers, has put the spotlight back on a similar tragedy on the Delhi-Jaipur expressway flyover near Jharsa in Gurugram, where four people died after a private bus caught fire on November 8, 2023.

The accused — bus operator Rajesh Kumar, driver Ram and co-driver Pardeep — were arrested a few days after the November 8 incident.

They were granted bail on February 12, 2024, the day police submitted the chargesheet against them.

On June 2, 2025, the accused sought exemption from personal appearance, which the court allowed for that day. They subsequently failed to appear during hearings, delaying arguments on framing of charges, the officer said. Their lawyer also stopped appearing before the court.

Following their repeated absence, the court cancelled their bail and forfeited their bail bonds on November 21, 2025.

On July 9 this year, the court issued arrest warrants against the trio and notices to their sureties.

Poonam, station house officer of Sector 40 police station, where the FIR was registered, said several police teams were trying to trace and arrest the accused.

“It will be ensured that they are produced before the court on the upcoming hearing on January 16 next year,” she said.

On the night of November 8, 2023, an Arunachal Pradesh-registered bus travelling to Uttar Pradesh with 45 daily-wage workers and their families from the interstate bus depot in Sector 12 caught fire.

The blaze started in the rear luggage compartment and quickly engulfed the vehicle. Most passengers escaped by jumping out through the windows.

Maya, 25, her daughter Deepali, 6, and Gayatri, 24, who was pregnant, died in the fire. Another girl, Anya, 5, died during treatment at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.

Police said cooking gas cylinders and firecrackers stored illegally in the rear luggage compartment fuelled the blaze.

Investigators also found that the bus had been fined multiple times for violations.

An FIR was registered against the operator, driver and co-driver under Section 304A (causing death by a rash or negligent act) of the Indian Penal Code at Sector 40 police station.