Crime Branch arrests 20-year-old for snatching ticket machine from woman bus conductor in Nagpur

Crime Branch Unit 2 in Nagpur has arrested a 20-year-old man on the charge of snatching a ticket machine from the hands of a woman bus conductor on duty and fleeing. The machine, valued at about Rs 10,000, has been recovered by the police.

The accused has been identified as Prem alias Dadu Vijay Patil, a resident of Chintaman Nagar in the Bhiwsan Khori area, which falls under Gittikhadan police station limits. According to the police, he was picked up from within the limits of Kalmeshwar police station. Technical investigation and a tip-off were used to trace him.

The police said the incident took place on October 21, 2026, between about 3 pm and 3.30 pm. The complainant, Sneha Ganesh Khirdkar, 27, was on duty as conductor on bus number MH-40-DC-0464, which was travelling from Brahmani Phata towards Sitabuldi.

When the bus reached the Adivasi Narmada Colony bus stop on Katol Road, within Gittikhadan police station limits, a youth aged about 21 to 25 boarded. He said he wanted to go to New Katol Naka.

He gave Khirdkar a Rs 20 note for the ticket. She issued him a ticket for Rs 16 and told him she would return the remaining Rs 4 shortly, as she did not have change at the time.

The bus then halted at the Narmada Colony bus stop and the conductor opened the door. It is alleged that the passenger then snatched the ticket machine from Khirdkar's hand and ran off. The black and saffron machine was worth about Rs 10,000.

On Khirdkar's complaint, Gittikhadan police registered a case against an unknown accused under Section 304(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

While Gittikhadan police were investigating the case, Crime Branch Unit 2 also began a separate probe. Officers and staff carried out technical investigation and gathered leads on the basis of reliable information.

Acting on intelligence received, the team laid a trap and took Prem alias Dadu Vijay Patil into custody within Kalmeshwar police station limits. According to the police, he has confessed to the snatching during questioning.

The police recovered the stolen ticket machine, worth Rs 10,000, from him. The arrested accused, along with the seized item, has been handed over to Gittikhadan police for further legal action. The police said further investigation is continuing to establish the full sequence of events and to gather more evidence.