A man accused of robbing a Kerala government bus at gunpoint in 1990 has been arrested after remaining absconding for 36 years. The suspect, now 71, was taken into custody following a lead that emerged in Mysuru.
According to police, the incident occurred when a state-run bus was operating between Thiruvambady and Koombara. When the bus reached Thiruvambady, a man boarded and allegedly threatened staff with a firearm before fleeing with the day’s collection.
Investigators later identified the accused as Jose, and a court warrant was issued for his arrest. However, police were unable to trace him for decades.
The breakthrough came on July 8, when Mysuru police responded to a dispute involving a man named Sivakumar and his wife in the Narasimharaja area. During a search, officers found a handgun and some documents hidden under a bed, and Sivakumar could not provide satisfactory papers for the weapon.
After Mysuru police shared details with Kerala Police, further verification revealed that Sivakumar was allegedly Jose, who had moved to Mysuru after 1990 and changed his name and other identifiers. Thiruvambady police then travelled to Mysuru and arrested him, bringing a long-pending case back into focus.
