the bus was spotted in Jhansi, approximately 250 km away from Agra, and all passengers were rescued, said a senior police officer from Agra.

Major drama unfolded in Agra early Wednesday morning when a Madhya Pradesh-bound private bus, carrying 34 passengers from Gurgaon, was “seized” by men who identified themselves as “finance company agents.” The two conductors and the driver of the bus were deboarded, and one of the four accused took off with all the passengers. Hours later, the bus was spotted in Jhansi, approximately 250 km away from Agra, and all passengers were rescued, said a senior police officer from Agra.

A case of kidnapping has been registered but no one has been arrested so far. Multiple teams have been formed to look for the accused, said a senior police officer. No passenger was injured, said police. A team of five Circle Officers and SP-rank officers was formed to trace the bus and the passengers. Information was relayed to police officers posted at the borders of neighbouring districts. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and issued directions to ensure a safe passage of return for the passengers.

“We were approached by the driver and conductor of a private bus service on Wednesday morning that their bus had been seized by finance company agents. The bus was due to reach Panna in MP today morning. However, around 4 am they were overtaken by a car and the bus was halted near New Dakshin crossing on the highway in Agra. The accused announced that they were seizing the bus because dues had not been paid. The driver and conductor were let off while one accused drove the bus away with the passengers. We are in touch with the passengers after they were found safely in Jhansi.”, said Babloo Kumar, SSP Agra.

According to police, there were four accused in a Mahindra Xylo car that had been tailing the bus as it crossed the Agra border on Tuesday night. The bus was halted as the Xylo overtook the bus near Malpura area early morning. The accused told the driver that they belong to a Gwalior-based private finance agency and they had to seize the bus. The accused took the two conductors and the driver separately in the vehicle while one accused drove the bus which had 34 passengers at that time.

The bus staff told police that they were given Rs 200 for food by the accused and were dropped off. According to police, the accused agents told the staff that the bus owner was in debt and had recently passed away. One of the accused was well versed with the travel angency’s finances and accounts, the conductor told police.