BARIPADA: Baripada Town police on Monday arrested five persons for allegedly for setting a passenger bus on fire following an accident on NH-18 near Jubilee petrol pump at Bhugudakata in the Mayurbhanj district.
The arrested persons are Rajaram Suvendu Vikas (36) of Gondipani village, Dhaneswar Marandi (45) of Bijayram Chandrapur, Sumanta Mukhi (35), and Kartika Mukhi (24) of Kalikapur besides Rajiv Lochan Das (31) of Tentulidinga.
The five accused reportedly torched the bus after it hit a biker, identified as Tusarkanta Si (21) of Fania village, injuring him critically. The incident took place on Sunday afternoon. Following the accident, Si was rushed to PRM Medical College and Hospital and later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where his left leg was amputated. Si also fractured his right leg.
According to eyewitnesses, the bus named ‘Ranjeeta’ was on its way to the Jubilee petrol pump when it hit Si’s motorcycle. The bus was not carrying any passengers when the incident occurred. After the mishap, locals set the bus on fire while its driver and helper fled. Police registered a case under sections 324, 294, 506, 427, 436, 307, and 34 of the IPC and arrested the five persons.