Kurla bus accident: police want to probe possible conspiracy

Mumbai: In the bus accident in Mumbai that killed seven here, police told a court that the bus rammed around 50-60 vehicles and kept going on for 300 metres after hitting the first vehicle. The driver, Sanjay More, was aware that he was in a crowded area, and therefore, the police had probed if there was a motive behind his actions, as the driver, NDTV, reported.

The accident happened near the Kurla (West) market around 9:45 pm on Monday. Apart from the killed, the bus had also injured at least 49 others. The injured included at least four police officers.

Lawyers for the police told the Kurla court that the police are also investigating whether there was a conspiracy behind the incident and whether the driver had used the bus as a weapon. It also wanted to probe whether he was under the influence of alcohol.

Police sought custody of the 54-year-old driver of the bus, operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST). He was arrested on a charge of culpable homicide.

The counsel for the driver told the court that police do not need his custody and that all the required information will be available at BEST. BEST administration can answer whether he was adequately trained and whether his medical report proved that he was drunk at the time of the accident.

However, the court sent the driver to police custody till December 21.

Meanwhile, sources from police told NDTV that the arrested driver, who drove the bus operated on Route 332 from Kurla Railway Station (West) to Agarkar Chowk in Andheri East, does not have enough experience driving heavy vehicles.