Bus conductor catches thief who stole gold bracelet worth Rs 1.25L

Photo for representational purpose

A bus conductor, employed with Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), has garnered a lot of appreciation from his organisation, fellow workers and the general public alike for catching a thief who was trying to decamp after snatching a passenger's gold bracelet worth Rs 1,25,000.

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As per a report in Pune Mirror, on Tuesday, Madhukar Gaikwad, was on his usual duty on the route from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) headquarters to Talegaon Dhamdhere - route number 159 - when the incident took place.

His quick responsiveness helped Lakshman Gaikwad, the distressed passenger, in recovering his stolen gold bracelet. While the bus was enroute from the PMC building to Talegaon Dhamdhere, a thief allegedly stole the bracelet. On sensing something amiss with the said passenger and after learning from the rest of the people on board that a man had lost his bracelet, the conductor quickly nabbed the accused and the bus was taken to Lonikand police station.

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The conductor said, "The matter was not about money or gold, it was more about the sense of safety that a passenger should feel while they are travelling on our bus and it's our responsibility to ensure passengers don't lose faith in us. Upon learning about the chaos and understanding the situation, I saw a man who was trying to flee. We caught hold of him and handed him over to the cops at Lonikand station."

Commenting on the matter, the passenger whose ornament was retrieved said, "We are thankful for the quick response of the conductor. We have, however, asked the cops to let the culprit go with a warning."

Pratap Mankar, senior police inspector from Lonikand station added, "The accused was brought to the police station and we have taken action against him. He was given a warning and released. The passenger was immediately returned the bracelet weighing around 30 grams."

Gaikwad's work has got a special mention by Rajendra Jagtap, chairman and managing director of PMPML, and his example is now being given to other employees to motivate them to offer help to passengers. "Gaikwad has been one of PMPML's most genuine employees and has always made the organisation proud. As far as we know, there are at least 10 such previous cases where he went beyond the call of his duty in similar ways. In 2014, too, he was recognised at a state level and received an award for being one of the best employees of the organisation," Jagtap informed.

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