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Man attempts to steal PMPML bus in Pune, caught after police chase
Accused has been identified as Gopal Balramsingh Rana, a native of Uttarakhand who is currently residing in Pune and reportedly works as a driver for private buses
A 20-year-old man was detained by Pune police on Saturday after he allegedly attempted to steal a bus belonging to the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) from the Dengle Bridge bus stand in Deccan locality.
The accused has been identified as Gopal Balramsingh Rana, a native of Uttarakhand who is currently residing in Pune and reportedly works as a driver for private buses.
According to police, Rana allegedly drove away with the PMPML bus from the Dengle Bridge area around 5.30 pm and reached the Goodluck Chowk area, at times driving on the wrong side of the road, creating panic among commuters and motorists.
Police said suspicious movement of the bus alerted personnel deployed in the area, following which a chase was launched. The accused reportedly struggled to manoeuvre the heavy vehicle amid traffic near Goodluck Chowk, allowing police to intercept the bus at a traffic signal and detain him.
No injuries or casualties were reported in the incident. The bus was later safely brought back to the depot by authorities.
Girish Dighavkar, senior police inspector at Shivajinagar police station, said, “The accused was trying to steal a PMPML bus. We have detained him, and further interrogation is underway.”
Police sources said the accused was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of detention. However, officers faced difficulty during the initial interrogation as he was allegedly uncooperative.
Investigators are also probing whether the accused may be mentally unstable, though officials said this would be confirmed only after a medical examination.
A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway to determine the motive behind the incident.
