Schoolkids caught in road rage as cabby drives off with bus key
Times of India | 8 August 2024
Kolkata: A DPS Megacity school bus with 35 students on board was stopped by a rogue app-cab driver on Tuesday afternoon following a minor collision on the crater-filled VIP Road. The cabby then snatched the bus keys and drove away.
The panicked students were stranded there till another school bus picked them up and ferried them home. Cops chased down and intercepted the app cab as it was fleeing towards Birati.
TOI has been writing about the poor condition of VIP Road, especially near the airport, which is covered in craters and potholes that make vehicles sway while negotiating them, often leading to minor accidents.
Cops said that around 3.30 pm on Tuesday, the school bus driver had bumped into the app cab from behind while negotiating a crater. This led to a heated argument between the two drivers before the app-cab driver snatched the bus keys and drove away.
“The bus driver came running to us and we immediately sent a team to ensure the safety of the students. We even enquired if they needed us to arrange for a separate bus. But the driver had already called the school, which sent another bus that was nearby. We then alerted our traffic units on Jessore Road and managed to intercept the driver,” said a senior officer of Bidhannagar City Police.
Cops prosecuted the cab driver under section 171 of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita in absence of a formal complaint from the school or the bus driver, and the cabby had to deposit a bail bond at the police station.
TOI contacted the school authorities but they refused to comment on the incident.