Image credit : Illustrative image

Coimbatore: A 23-year-old vegetable seller, who had stolen a bus from a private medical college at Chittur in Palakkad, was arrested by the police here on Friday.

M Vijayakumar of Dharmaraj Colony in Anaimalai stole the bus owned by Karuna Medical College and Hospital, Chittur, from the Old Bus Stand premises at Anaimalai on June 16.

Bus driver S Jainulabdeen of Gandhi Nagar in Anaimalai had parked it there to go home to celebrate Ramzan, said an officer. He fell sick and did not go for work for a few days. When he reached the bus stand on June 21, he found the bus missing.

Jainulabdeen, who had been driving the bus for the past seven years, used it to pick up patients from Pollachi and Animalai area daily to the college for free treatment since January.

Anaimalai police had registered a case based on his complaint. On checking the CCTV footage from local commercial establishments nearby, they found the youth behind the theft driving away with the bus and traced him.

Vijaykumar had driven the bus to Gobichettipalayam in Erode district to try and sell it. However, the police arrested him before he could make the sale.