PRTC bus conductor ‘looted’; matter suspicious, say police

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 1

Three armed men allegedly robbed a PRTC bus conductor at gunpoint near the Ladhowal toll plaza here today, leading to a protest on the Ludhiana-Jalandhar highway. The traffic was hit for more than an hour.

The police, however, said the matter was “suspicious” and they had scanned the CCTV footage of the alleged incident.

Soon after the alleged incident, Opposition leaders took on the AAP government over law and order situation. PCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring posted on Twitter, “Total anarchy, as law and order collapses completely in Punjab.” PLC chief Capt Amarinder Singh, too, tweeted on the issue.

Bus conductor Sahil said when the bus, plying on the Patiala-Amritsar route, reached the toll plaza, two men on a motorcycle and another on a scooter brought their two-wheelers parallel to the bus and started hurling abuses at him.

On being confronted, the men pointed country-made pistols at him. According to Sahil, they allegedly thrashed him and snatched Rs 4,000 and his gold chain.

Bus driver Harjinder Singh, along with some passengers, got down to nab the robbers, but they threatened to shoot him. The men fled towards Phillaur, Sahil said.

Police Commissioner Dr Kaustubh Sharma said preliminary investigation indicated the bus conductor and three youths had an altercation. “None of the passengers were harmed and no item was snatched. The CCTV footage of the incident corroborates this,” he said.

Joint Commissioner of Police (City) Narinder Bhargav said CCTV footage suggested that alleged robbers had no weapons and that they only had an argument with the conductor. “The police are probing the allegations. If the investigation establishes anything, action will be taken accordingly. A case has been registered,” he said.

Sahil said he stood by his claim. “Passengers witnessed the incident, I have given names and numbers of some passengers, from whom the police can verify the veracity of the incident,” he said.

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