Thiruvalla: The last bus had already left the stand. With no money for an auto, a tipsy young man in Kerala came up with what he thought was the next "logical" step.

Jebin, 34, decided—he would drive the KSRTC bus himself.

On Sunday night, with this "goal" in mind, Jebin climbed aboard a parked bus at the Thiruvalla depot. But as soon as he tried to reverse the bus and turn it around, the passengers quickly stopped him.

He wanted to go to Mallappally. The last bus had left the depot at 8 pm. Jebin, along with two friends, had been to the station earlier to inquire about the Mallappally route and even returned multiple times to check if there was another bus, according to depot officials.

The bus that was scheduled to depart for Mallappally at 5:45 am, had been parked at the depot by around 10 pm the previous day. The driver had parked it, left without the key, and gone to the office.

Around 10:15 pm, Jebin got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. When depot authorities learned of the situation, they ordered him to get off. Jebin refused. The police soon arrived and escorted him out, but by then, his friends had already fled the scene.

DySP S. Ashad, said Jebin seemed puzzled during questioning, asking what was wrong with him driving the bus since he was already a driver of a heavy vehicle (a backhoe loader).

The depot authorities, however, confirmed that Jebin was drunk. He was arrested and charged with attempting to hijack the KSRTC bus.