Bengaluru: Ina shocking incident, miscreants stole 124 litres of diesel from a BMTC bus parked at a petrol bunk in Rampura village on the outskirts of Bengaluru. CCTV footage revealed that two unidentified men carried out the theft swiftly and with precision. The incident, which occurred last week, came to light only later, raising serious concerns about the safety of buses parked overnight.

The theft took place on December 2 at around 2:30 am. The bus belongs to BMTC’s 47th Depot, Mandur. At the time, the bus driver Shivappa M.S. and conductor Manjunath B.C. were asleep inside the bus. Taking advantage of the situation, the culprits arrived in a Tata Indica car, broke the lock of the diesel tank cap, and siphoned 124 litres of fuel using a pipe. They are seen filling multiple cans before fleeing the spot.

Driver Shivappa, who has been working with BMTC for 12 years, filed a complaint. On December 1, he and conductor Manjunath had completed the last trip of the day on Route 367/1 from Rampura to K.R. Market. As usual, they parked the bus inside the petrol bunk premises and slept inside the vehicle after dinner. The petrol bunk staff, who close the bunk at 11 PM and reopen at 6 AM, were asleep at the time, giving the thieves a clear opportunity.

CCTV footage shows the miscreants parking their car about 10 meters away, observing the movements of the bus staff, and confirming that both crew members were asleep. Around 2:30 AM, they broke open the fuel tank lock and began filling the diesel into cans, completing the theft within 13 minutes and escaping by 2:43 am.

The next morning, the crew left Rampura at 5 am. The bus stalled near Halasuru due to an empty fuel tank. They later learned from the depot that the bus previously had over 124 litres of diesel, raising suspicion. They then returned to Rampura petrol bunk, checked the CCTV footage, and filed a complaint on December 3.

The loss is estimated at around Rs 11,000. Avalahalli Police have registered a case under Section 304 (theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and are investigating. Police say the CCTV footage is unclear, with the vehicle number and the faces of the culprits not fully visible. The incident has triggered concerns over the safety of buses parked overnight at unattended locations.