Man arrested for setting 2 buses on fire in Baijnath

The Baijnath police have arrested the key accused responsible for setting on fire two passenger buses belonging to the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) and the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking on Thursday night in Baijnath, 20 km from Palampur. Both these buses were parked on the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway when the incident took place. The accused was arrested from his native Chathummi village 10 km from Baijnath.

Sources in the Police Department said the accused had been residing near the HRTC workshop in a rented accommodation. He was a drug addict and burnt buses when he was under the influence of liquor, the sources said. Earlier, the police identified the accused on the basis of the CCTV footage collected from shops near the HRTC workshop. The police said when the incident took place, conductors and drivers of both the buses were sleeping in a nearby restroom. These buses had arrived at 8  pm from Chandigarh and Shimla, respectively. The total loss caused to the public property has been estimated at Rs 50 lakh. A case was registered at Baijnath police station against the accused.