Pune minibus fire: The fire on a private company's minibus, which led to the death of four employees near Pune, was allegedly a deliberate act of arson carried out by an angry driver who had conflicts with some colleagues and was frustrated over a salary reduction, police said on Thursday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Vishal Gaikwad of Pimpri Chinchwad Police told news agency PTI, "Investigation revealed that the fire was not an accident but sabotage." He further said that the accused driver, Janardan Hambardekar, had a dispute with some of the employees and wanted to take revenge.
The DCP said that none of the four employees who died in the incident were among those the driver held a grudge against.
Pune minibus fire
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning in the Hinjawadi area near Pune city when a bus owned by Vyoma Graphics, transporting 14 employees to their workplace, caught fire.
"The accused had procured benzene (a highly inflammable chemical). He had also kept a cloth used to wipe toners in the bus. On Thursday, as the bus neared Hinjawadi, he lit a match and set the cloth on fire," said the DCP.
According to the police, the accused driver jumped off the moving bus, which then travelled around a hundred metres before coming to a stop. Preliminary investigation revealed that the driver, Hambardekar, had already sustained burn injuries before he exited the vehicle.
He is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital and will be taken into custody once his condition stabilizes, the police official said.
Tragically, four employees — Shankar Shinde (63), Rajan Chavan (42), Gurudas Lokare (45), and Subhash Bhosale (44) — lost their lives as they were seated at the rear of the bus and were unable to open the emergency exit door in time. Additionally, six other passengers suffered burn injuries.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, the DCP added.
(With PTI inputs)
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