JEYPORE: Jeypore Town police has come under scanner for the alleged detention of an Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) bus conductor for the last nine days in connection with the disappearance of Rs 27.5 lakh from a passenger’s bag.
The conductor, Anil Patnaik (37), was reportedly picked up by Jeypore Town police from the OSRTC depot at Vizianagaram in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on October 3, two days after the alleged incident. However, a case was registered only on October 10.
Patnaik’s family members, residents of Papadahandi in Nabarangpur district, alleged that they travelled to Jeypore to meet him but were not allowed by police.
Jeypore Town IIC Ullash Chandra Rout said the OSRTC bus conductor has been detained and is being questioned as a substantial amount of money was involved in the case. “With more than Rs 27 lakh involved, we are questioning the conductor,” he said.
On October 1, passenger Sunil Rath boarded the Chitrakonda-Visakhapatnam OSRTC bus at Jeypore, carrying a black bag reportedly containing Rs 27.5 lakh. He placed the bag in the designated luggage area.
At Semiliguda, the conductor allegedly asked passengers about the ownership of the black bag. As Rath was asleep and no other passenger responded, the conductor suspected that it might contain ganja and allegedly threw it out of the bus near Kunduli village instead of handing it over to police.
After the bus reached Visakhapatnam the next morning, Rath discovered that his bag was missing. When he questioned the conductor, the latter reportedly told him that it was thrown out of the bus near Kunduli. Rath subsequently returned to the spot and recovered the bag but found the cash missing.
He later approached Jeypore Town police and lodged a complaint on Friday, alleging that Rs 27.5 lakh had disappeared from the bag. The complainant also questioned the conductor’s motive behind disposing of the bag at the roadside instead of handing it over to police if he genuinely suspected that it contained ganja.
Based on his complaint, police registered a case and detained Patnaik. Sources said police had sought CCTV footage of the incident from OSRTC officials at Vizianagaram depot and were awaiting further evidence before deciding on the next course of action.
Jeypore SDPO Archita Mittal said investigation is underway and police would examine the CCTV footage of the bus before taking further action.