KOCHI: A conductor was stabbed to death inside a moving private bus at HMT Junction, Kalamassery, on Saturday. Aneesh Peter, 34, the conductor of the bus ‘Hidhayath Asthra,’ which operates on the Kalamassery Medical College- Kakkanad route, and a resident of Rajakumari, Idukki, succumbed to injuries later.
The masked assailant fled the scene immediately after the attack. However, the accused, Minoop Biju, a resident of Kalamassery, was later taken into custody in connection with the murder. According to police sources, personal vengeance may have been the motive behind the murder, and a case has been registered under charges of murder in accordance with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
“The murder occurred around 12.30pm when the bus reached Kalamassery Junction. The suspect, who had parked his scooter nearby, waited for the bus, entered it, and carried out the stabbing as planned,” said a police officer from the Kalamassery police station. The suspect fled the scene immediately after committing the crime, and the victim died on the way to the hospital, the officer added.
Responding to the incident, the Thrikkakara assistant commissioner Baby P V said, “We have some leads on the accused and are close to making an arrest after verifying certain details. Our preliminary investigation suggests that the incident was the result of a personal dispute between the murderer, his live-in girlfriend, and the bus conductor.”
The police are reviewing all available evidence, including CCTV footage, he said. He noted that the witnesses and public could not intervene or apprehend the suspect from the spot because they were too shocked by the incident.
It took me a few moments to grasp what had happened, says the sole witness
KOCHI: The bus ‘Hidhayath Asthra’ was nearing the end of its shuttle service from Kakkanad to Kalamassery. When it approached its final stop at HMT Junction, a man rushed into the bus through the backdoor, shouting, “I will show you.”
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In a matter of seconds, he stabbed the conductor with a knife which he had kept in his hand, and fled the scene, disappearing into the crowd — Ashkar, the sole eyewitness, recalled the harrowing moment he had to go through. Even as he recounted the incident to TNIE, his voice trembled because of the shock of what he had witnessed — a cold-blooded murder.
“I was on my way from Kakkanad to Kalamassery. The bus was nearly empty as it approached its final stop, with only a few women passengers and myself on board. As we neared HMT Junction, the women prepared to disembark, while the conductor stood near the front door, chatting with the driver. When the bus finally halted at the destination and the women exited, a man suddenly rushed into the bus through the backdoor with a knife in hand, shouting, ‘I will show you.’ The conductor barely had time to turn around before the first stab struck his neck. The assailant pulled the knife back and stabbed him again. On the third attempt, the conductor tried to defend himself, but the blade found his shoulder this time. The entire attack lasted barely 25 seconds,” recalled Ashkar.
“It took me a few moments to grasp what had happened. By the time I reacted and chased the assailant, he fled through the front door and disappeared into the crowd,” he said.
"Afterwards, I returned to the bus and found the conductor soaked in blood, paralysed from the attack. With the help of a local resident, I rushed him to Kalamassery Medical College. But the medical team confirmed that he was no more, said Ashkar, his voice heavy with grief. I then contacted the Kalamassery police and provided them with my initial statement," he added.
When asked about the assailant’s appearance, Ashkar described, “He seemed to be a young man, possibly between 25 and 30 years old, dressed in black. Although he was wearing a mask, I caught a glimpse of his face.” He said that the driver might have seen the assailant more clearly due to their nearness.