BENGALURU
A 39-year-old woman’s attempt to arrange money for her children’s school fees ended in distress after Rs 80,000, borrowed from her younger sister, was allegedly stolen while travelling on a crowded BMTC bus in Bengaluru.
The incident took place when Pankaja, a resident of A Narayanapura in Mahadevapura, boarded BMTC bus route number 317 from the City Market bus stand towards Tin Factory.
According to the complaint filed with City Market police, Pankaja’s family has been facing financial difficulties, prompting her to seek help from her sister Rathnamma. Earlier that day, Pankaja had visited KIMS Hospital to see a cousin who was admitted following an accident.
Later, she visited Rathnamma’s new house in Hanumanthanagar, where her sister handed over Rs 80,000 in cash to help pay school fees for Pankaja’s two children. She reportedly kept the money inside her vanity bag. Rathnamma also gave her a bag of rice before she left for home.
Pankaja travelled by BMTC bus to Victoria Hospital bus stop and then walked to the City Market BMTC stand, where she waited nearly 30 minutes for bus number 317.
She told police that she had checked the cash just minutes before boarding the bus around noon. However, while entering the crowded bus, she was pushed by commuters. Although she initially managed to get a seat, she later offered it to an elderly woman believed to be in her 70s and remained standing in the packed vehicle.
A short while later, Pankaja noticed that the zip of her vanity bag was open. On checking the contents, she found the entire Rs 80,000 missing.
In her complaint, Pankaja alleged that the bus driver and conductor did not cooperate when she requested them to halt the bus briefly to verify if someone had stolen the cash. She also claimed they refused to help her access CCTV footage from the bus.
Police reportedly informed her that CCTV cameras at the City Market bus stand were not functioning at the time of the incident.
With the help of a woman constable, Pankaja lodged a complaint at the City Market police station. A case has been registered under BNS Section 303 relating to theft.
Following the incident, Pankaja has approached her children’s school seeking one month’s time to pay the fees for her elder son studying in Class 4 and her younger child in LKG.