BENGALURU: A spat over reckless driving by a private bus driver turned into a nightmare for two bikers. While both the rider and pillion were assaulted, one of them was abducted and kept confined in the bus for almost four hours even as it made its way to Mangaluru. The biker was beaten up and dumped at Sakleshleshpur Ghat in the middle of the night on Friday.
The incident took place in Peenya when Raghu (21) was riding the bike with Manjunath (28) on the pillion. A senior police officer said the bus was being driven recklessly and when it reached Nelamangala toll, it brushed past Raghu’s bike. This is when Raghu confronted the driver Harish and an argument ensued. In a fit of rage, Harish got down from the bus and kicked the bikers and dragged Raghu inside the bus. Two more staffers, who are said to be cleaners, joined Harish and the gang assaulted him.
Raghu told The New Sunday Express: “One of them gagged me with a shoe, so I was unable to scream. The passengers were all asleep.”
Raghu told The New Sunday Express: “One of them gagged me with a shoe, so I was unable to raise an alarm. The passengers were all asleep and the bus staff had closed the door so that nobody could hear them kicking me. Meanwhile, Manjunath contacted the travel operator Seabird Travels and told them about my abduction. This is when they threw me from the moving bus into a forest area. I ran for a distance and a passing motorist helped me reach a bus stop nearby. Had it not been for Manjunath, they would have killed me and thrown my body in the forest.”
Raghu reached the city on Saturday morning and filed a complaint at Peenya police station, giving details of the bus. Raghu (21) and Manjunath (28) are residents of Nelamangala and work as cab drivers in the city.
A senior police officer said, “We are on the lookout for the drivers Harish and Abhilash, and the cleaners. Raghu has been hospitalised due to severe injuries. The accused will be arrested soon”.
Speaking to The New Sunday Express, Sandesh, manager at Seabird Travels, said that “When we got information, we tried to contact the driver but could not reach him as his mobile phone was switched off. The company has nothing to do with the incident and police will take action against those involved in the attack. The company owner Nagaraj has already given a statement to the police”.