How Pune rampage unfolded
ST driver was finally caught after a 40-minute chase
Pune was in shock on Wednesday after hearing the news of Santosh Mane, 41, driving a state transport bus from the Swargate depot on the wrong side of the busy Pune-Solapur Road, crushing all that came in his way — vehicles and people.
At least nine people died and 29 others were injured in the rampage.
Mane’s colleagues are still in a state of shock.
Mane, who hails from Solapur, lives alone at the Swargate depot restroom. He drives on the Gangapur-Swargate route and as his hometown , which is in Mohol taluka of Solapur district, falls on the same route, he would get tiffin from home.
Vijay Gulve, the conductor who usually accompanies Mane, said: “As usual, we plied on the Pune-Gangapur-Pune route on Tuesday. Mane behaved normally during the entire trip. On reaching Swargate, he retired to the restroom.”
Mane was to drive a bus to Vaduste village in Mulshi taluka on Wednesday and was to camp in Andhale village.
“Mane came to me at 8am on Wednesday and said he wanted to start early. I told him that two spare drivers were available and he could not adjust his duty hours,” said MSRTC’s senior depot manager Vijay Divate.
Just then a bus had come in from Satara (MH 14/BT 1532) and driver Santosh Hendre alighted to make an arrival entry. At 8.15am, Mane started the bus using a common key.
Hendre recalled, “I was talking to traffic controller Ajit Limaye when Mane took off. We both ran towards the bus shouting at Mane to stop.”
Heading towards the exit gate, Mane dashed into a man and a bus. Taking a right turn at the gate, Mane mowed down an autorickshaw and a fruit handcart. People tried stopping Mane, but he sped away.
Limaye said: “Two policemen also tried stopping him. Then Mane hit a pedestrian. We tried chasing him on bike but got stuck in a traffic jam.”
Mane took a left, went to Jedhe Chowk, again turned left and drove inside the stand and then out. He drove towards Golibar Maidan taking the wrong side of the road. By then, the police control room alerted all policemen on wireless sets and walkie-talkies.
Beat marshal constable Dipak Kakade said: “On receiving the message on the walkie-talkie, beat marshal constable Sandip Sutar and I rode towards Swargate and saw the bus changing lanes and hitting vehicles. I fired at it and the bullet hit the windshield, but he did not halt. Mane tried running over us, but we escaped and began chasing him.”
Mane drove towards Solapur Bazaar and returned to Golibar Maidan, Swargate and Sarasbaug.
After reaching the Parvati flyover, he took another right turn and defying the one-way curb, proceeded towards Neelayam theatre.
Here, the bus was blocked due to two-vehicle traffic and narrow lane. As Mane was manoeuvring the traffic, Sharif Ibrahim Kutti, a BCA student of Poona College who was chasing the bus on his motorbike, jumped into the bus.
Other passers-by and chasing policemen also intervened and Mane was dragged out.
ST driver was finally caught after a 40-minute chase
Pune was in shock on Wednesday after hearing the news of Santosh Mane, 41, driving a state transport bus from the Swargate depot on the wrong side of the busy Pune-Solapur Road, crushing all that came in his way — vehicles and people.
At least nine people died and 29 others were injured in the rampage.
Mane’s colleagues are still in a state of shock.
Mane, who hails from Solapur, lives alone at the Swargate depot restroom. He drives on the Gangapur-Swargate route and as his hometown , which is in Mohol taluka of Solapur district, falls on the same route, he would get tiffin from home.
Vijay Gulve, the conductor who usually accompanies Mane, said: “As usual, we plied on the Pune-Gangapur-Pune route on Tuesday. Mane behaved normally during the entire trip. On reaching Swargate, he retired to the restroom.”
Mane was to drive a bus to Vaduste village in Mulshi taluka on Wednesday and was to camp in Andhale village.
“Mane came to me at 8am on Wednesday and said he wanted to start early. I told him that two spare drivers were available and he could not adjust his duty hours,” said MSRTC’s senior depot manager Vijay Divate.
Just then a bus had come in from Satara (MH 14/BT 1532) and driver Santosh Hendre alighted to make an arrival entry. At 8.15am, Mane started the bus using a common key.
Hendre recalled, “I was talking to traffic controller Ajit Limaye when Mane took off. We both ran towards the bus shouting at Mane to stop.”
Heading towards the exit gate, Mane dashed into a man and a bus. Taking a right turn at the gate, Mane mowed down an autorickshaw and a fruit handcart. People tried stopping Mane, but he sped away.
Limaye said: “Two policemen also tried stopping him. Then Mane hit a pedestrian. We tried chasing him on bike but got stuck in a traffic jam.”
Mane took a left, went to Jedhe Chowk, again turned left and drove inside the stand and then out. He drove towards Golibar Maidan taking the wrong side of the road. By then, the police control room alerted all policemen on wireless sets and walkie-talkies.
Beat marshal constable Dipak Kakade said: “On receiving the message on the walkie-talkie, beat marshal constable Sandip Sutar and I rode towards Swargate and saw the bus changing lanes and hitting vehicles. I fired at it and the bullet hit the windshield, but he did not halt. Mane tried running over us, but we escaped and began chasing him.”
Mane drove towards Solapur Bazaar and returned to Golibar Maidan, Swargate and Sarasbaug.
After reaching the Parvati flyover, he took another right turn and defying the one-way curb, proceeded towards Neelayam theatre.
Here, the bus was blocked due to two-vehicle traffic and narrow lane. As Mane was manoeuvring the traffic, Sharif Ibrahim Kutti, a BCA student of Poona College who was chasing the bus on his motorbike, jumped into the bus.
Other passers-by and chasing policemen also intervened and Mane was dragged out.
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