India, June 6 -- In response to rising complaints of theft, lewd gestures, and harassment of female passengers onboard Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses, the Pune city police in collaboration with the PMPML have formed a 'Special Squad' that will conduct surprise checks by travelling (under cover) on these buses along city- and suburban- routes.

The PMPML - which operates public bus services on 381 routes across Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and the adjoining areas of the Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR) - serves 8 to 10 lakh passengers daily. In recent times however, there has been a surge in disturbing incidents involving female passengers including theft, indecent behaviour and harassment which has led to concerns rega...