Security lapses at one of Asia’s largest bus stations lead to Rs 30 lakh robbery.
Vijayawada: Thursday’s robbery of gold ornaments worth over Rs 30 lakh at the busy Pundit Nehru Bus Station has brought the security lapses at one of Asia’s largest bus stations to the fore.
On Thursday night, a stranger managed to steal the jewellery from Priyanka, a passenger, and her family, by pretending that he was helping them load their luggage in a bus.
Priyanka and her mother allowed the unidentified person to handle their luggage, assuming that he was among the members of a marriage party who had come to drop them off at the station.
It was later that they discovered that the gold ornaments worth over Rs 30 lakh were missing from the bags.
The CCTV cameras that were recently set up by APSRTC officials following instructions from the police department, however, were of no help to the police to identify the thief.
The PNBS sees over 2,200 buses transporting over one lakh passengers every day. Such a busy bus station does not even have a compound wall since the past several years and this has become a major cause for concern.
Any anti-social elements can easily enter the bus station and make his escape. The APSRTC, which is in financial crisis, is unable to build the compound wall.
While students who visit the office complex for bus passes are forced to cope with the presence of unsavoury characters during the day, miscreants hang around the place during the nights.
The need for more security personnel is acutely felt at the bus station.
“Though it is not so easy to maintain 100 per cent vigilance over the bus station due to the shortage of manpower, setting up high quality cameras at all vantage points will help the police keep it under proper watch. Having said this, it is necessary that passengers should be very careful regarding their luggage, especially when carrying valuables,” said Krishnalanka inspector T.S.R.K. Prasad.
While the police says that the CCTV footage has revealed a possible suspect, the visuals are so poor that he cannot be identified.
Prasad said five teams have been formed to nab the thief. In-charge regional manager A. Appal Raju said “A total of 42 high quality CC cameras are in place at the bus station, according to the instructions of commissioner of police.
As many as 24 security personnel, including 12 from the police department and 12 from private agencies are being used to control the traffic in the station to avoid mishaps”.
When asked about construction of a compound wall, the in-charge RM said it will take time to get funds from the RTC.
( Source : dc )
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