Disgruntled bus driver started fire that claimed lives of four employees of Pune firm: Cops

Pune: The deadly fire in a minibus owned by a private firm that claimed the lives of four employees near Pune was allegedly an act of sabotage by a disgruntled driver, police said on Thursday.

"Investigation revealed that the fire was not an accident but sabotage," said deputy commissioner of police Vishal Gaikwad of Pimpri Chinchwad Police at a press conference here.

Janardan Hambardekar, the accused driver, was angry after his salary was cut recently, he said.

The incident took place in Hinjawadi area near Pune city on Wednesday morning as the bus, owned by Vyoma Graphics and carrying 14 of its employees to the workplace, caught fire.

"The accused had procured benzene (an inflammable chemical). He had also kept a cloth used to wipe toners in the bus. On Thursday, as the bus neared Hinjawadi, he lit a match and set the cloth on fire," said the DCP.

In the resultant fire, he himself also suffered injuries though he got down from the bus along with a few others after the fire started.

Hambardekar was undergoing treatment at hospital and will be arrested later, the police official said.

Ten passengers sustained burn injuries of which two were seriously injured.

Four of the employees -- Shankar Shinde (63), Rajan Chavan (42), Gurudas Lokare (45) and Subhash Bhosale (44) -- died as they were sitting in the rear and could not open the emergency exit door in time.

Further probe was on, the DCP said.