<p>A BMTC conductor found burnt alive on a bus two weeks ago may have committed suicide, police suspect. They think so because he had bought diesel and petrol shortly before the incident. </p>.<p>On March 10, Muthaiah Swamy (45) was found with 80% burns inside a BMTC bus parked at the bus stand in D Group Employees Layout, Lingadheeranahalli, Southwest Bengaluru. It was believed to be an accident. The bus belonged to the Sumanahalli depot (number 31) and plied between Majestic and Byadarahalli. </p>.<p>Police and forensic experts combed the accident scene and surrounding areas for clues. Police discovered that Swamy bought five litres of petrol and two litres of diesel from a nearby fuel station a few hours before the incident. He paid Rs 700 via PhonePe from his mobile phone. </p>.<p>After finishing their shift on March 9, Swamy and bus driver Prakash pulled into the bus stand. Swamy handed Prakash the day’s collections and asked him to sleep in one of the retiring rooms. He said he would sleep alone on the bus. Prakash saw him speaking on the phone at 1 am, police sources said. </p>.<p>When police checked the bus after the fire, they found that all its doors and windows were blown out due to the explosion and the pressure of the smoke. This makes the police suspect that Swamy shut the doors and windows, and set himself on fire, sources said. </p>.<p>A police officer, however, cautioned against jumping to conclusions, saying they are still waiting for a report from the forensic science laboratory. “Only then can we determine the cause of death,” the officer said. </p>
<p>A BMTC conductor found burnt alive on a bus two weeks ago may have committed suicide, police suspect. They think so because he had bought diesel and petrol shortly before the incident. </p>.<p>On March 10, Muthaiah Swamy (45) was found with 80% burns inside a BMTC bus parked at the bus stand in D Group Employees Layout, Lingadheeranahalli, Southwest Bengaluru. It was believed to be an accident. The bus belonged to the Sumanahalli depot (number 31) and plied between Majestic and Byadarahalli. </p>.<p>Police and forensic experts combed the accident scene and surrounding areas for clues. Police discovered that Swamy bought five litres of petrol and two litres of diesel from a nearby fuel station a few hours before the incident. He paid Rs 700 via PhonePe from his mobile phone. </p>.<p>After finishing their shift on March 9, Swamy and bus driver Prakash pulled into the bus stand. Swamy handed Prakash the day’s collections and asked him to sleep in one of the retiring rooms. He said he would sleep alone on the bus. Prakash saw him speaking on the phone at 1 am, police sources said. </p>.<p>When police checked the bus after the fire, they found that all its doors and windows were blown out due to the explosion and the pressure of the smoke. This makes the police suspect that Swamy shut the doors and windows, and set himself on fire, sources said. </p>.<p>A police officer, however, cautioned against jumping to conclusions, saying they are still waiting for a report from the forensic science laboratory. “Only then can we determine the cause of death,” the officer said. </p>
