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Bus Hijacker Under Psychiatric Care

J M Shenoy

For over a week Vikram Menon has been under psychiatric observation and treatment at a hospital near Bellingham, an American city close to the Canadian border.

Menon, a 37-year-old Canadian bus driver, allegedly hijacked his bus in the Canadian city of Vancouver and drove into America holding its lone passenger hostage.

When he was produced in a court last week, Menon turned hysterical, yelling and pleading. His wife, who had come down from Vancouver, had tried to calm him down but in vain.

Authorities would not say when Menon would be produced before a judge. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to more than 15 years in jail on counts of kidnapping and hijacking a bus.

Canada has also indicated that it wants to try him but there is no indication if the two suits can be combined and he will have a trial in America.

The highway drama started when Menon, who worked for an airport shuttle service, picked up two passengers and drove in the direction of the airport. He stopped the bus at a suburban train station saying he had to use the bathroom, came back in a few minutes and asked the male passenger to help him with a flat tire.

With the man out of the bus, Menon slammed the door and drove off, sending a radio message to his company that armed men had hijacked the bus.

His colleagues and superiors in Canada have described Menon as a model worker who paid courteous attention to his passengers. But some of his neighbors, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was a troubled person, deeply unhappy with his immigration status, and seeking to go to another country.

EARLIER REPORT:
Alleged Hijacker Throws A Fit In Court

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