Kozhikode (Kerala): Private bus staff illegally abandoned a female passenger on an elevated, dark stretch of the national highway late at night, leaving her stranded until local residents came to her aid using an iron ladder.

The incident occurred when a private bus named ‘Rithika’, operating on the Kozhikode–Kannur route, refused to take the designated service road.

Passenger buses normally travel along the service road, which is why the woman had purchased a ticket to disembark at the Thikkodi bus stop. However, the bus crew bypassed the service road and stayed on the main highway instead.
 

When the passenger requested to be dropped at her destination, the staff told her to get off on the highway if she wanted to, stating that the bus would not enter Thikkodi town. Consequently, she was forced to alight on an elevated, unlit section of the national highway.

Terrified and unsure of what to do in the dark, the woman was spotted by local residents. Realising she was trapped on the high embankment, locals brought an iron ladder to the spot and helped her descend safely to the ground.