KOCHI: Two youths who attacked a KSRTC driver and conductor following an alleged spitting incident were arrested in Aluva on Monday. Ameer Shah, 21, of Keezhmad and Mohammed Rizwan, 24, of Thottumugham were arrested in connection with the attack that took place near Chalakka in Kunnukara on Friday.
A source with the Ernakulam rural police said the duo attacked the staff of a KSRTC bus that was en route to Perumbavoor.
The bus driver allegedly spat out of the cabin, and the spit accidentally landed on the accused who were coming from the opposite direction on a motorcycle. Enraged, the duo chased the bus, stopped their motorcycle in front of it, forcing it to stop.
They then opened the driver-side door and engaged in a heated argument with the driver and conductor, who tried to intervene.
The accused then assaulted both the driver and conductor and fled away with the key of the bus. They later switched off their phones, said the source.
“A ministerial-level intervention followed the attack, and a special investigation team was formed. During the probe, the accused were traced and apprehended from their relatives’ houses, where they had gone into hiding with the help of friends,” said an officer with the Aluva East police station.
In the assault, the bus conductor suffered serious injuries to his eyes and had to go undergo treatment. The accused are also involved in another case of assaulting a migrant worker at a petrol pump in Muttom, Kalamassery, the officer added.