Sixty-four passengers, all of them migrant workers bound for their home, were literally taken for a ride after the private bus they were travelling by decamped during a lunch halt, on the NH-65 (Hyderabad-Vijayawada) in Narketpally police limits here on Friday, November 5, 2021.
According to police, the white coloured bus, bearing registration numbers KL-38-D-709 and stickered as ‘Gang Boss Travel Hub’ on the windshield, originated in Kerala and was going towards Assam. The bus was overloaded with 64 workers, including women and a few children, from Bihar, West Bengal and Assam.
Aggrieved passengers, who are sheltered at a private hall since Friday evening, said the bus driver and cleaner had hinted about a repair. While the occupants were at lunch, the driver and the cleaner fled the place. The passengers luggage and belongings were in the bus.
As the bus did not return even after for several hours, the passengers realised they were taken for a ride and approached the Narketpally police.
It was learnt that the bus moved towards Hyderabad from Narketpally. Police are looking at a CCTV footage recorded at Pantangi toll plaza at Choutuppal, the connecting link to Hyderabad. Several plazas and police stations were also alerted to trace the vehicle.
Narketpally police have registered a case of cheating.
