Drunk Kerala youth steals KSRTC bus to reach home, crashes into electric post

Aloysius, 25, who was in Kollam on Sunday to meet a friend, was in an inebriated state by night and wanted to get back home The youth tried to board several buses but failed to do so because of the heavy rush during the time, and decided to drive a bus home Aloysius, who works in the Gulf, will have to pay Rs 1 lakh for crashing the bus and Rs 30,000 for destroying an electrical post

In a bizarre incident, a drunken youth 'stole' a bus from the KSRTC depot in Kollam, and tried to drive it home. However, he ended up crashing the vehicle and landed in police custody instead.

Aloysius, 25, was in Kollam on Sunday to meet a friend. He was in an inebriated state by night and wanted to get back home in Attingal near Thiruvananthapuram. The youth tried to board several buses but failed to do so because of the heavy rush during the time. After running out of patience, Aloysius decided to take matters into his own hands.

A few buses, with the keys left near the dashboard, were parked along Asramam Link Road near the KSRTC depot. Aloysius picked a fast passenger, which was scheduled to leave for Thiruvananthapuram early in the morning. He drove around for five kilometres but faltered near Chinnakada and crashed the bus into a 11KV electric post at the traffic roundabout, according to The Hindu.

The loud noise of the crash alerted both the locals and the police who rushed to the scene. Aloysius, who had alighted from the bus by then, was also standing amongst the crowd. However, the police found one of Aloysius' shoes lying under the driver’s seat and identified the culprit within a matter of minutes. The police arrested the youth and took him to a nearby hospital and confirmed alcohol content in his blood.

Aloysius, who works in the Gulf, will have to pay Rs 1 lakh for the damage caused to the bus and Rs 30,000 for destroying the electric post.

Kollam DTO A Salim said precautionary measures will be taken to avoid such incidents in the future. According to KSRTC officials, the bus keys are kept inside the vehicle itself to enable the mechanics to check the vehicle early on in the morning.