An Ola driver in Bengaluru held a 26 year old woman captive and molested her. The driver allegedly forced the passenger to strip and took photos. The woman who is an architect needed to take an early morning flight to Mumbai.
The woman booked an Ola cab to the airport on the 1st of June. The cab driver took a detour claiming it was a shorter and faster route. The woman agreed as she did not want to miss his flight.
The victim told the police the driver stopped the car in a deserted area and molested her. The woman’s complaint stated the driver threatened to call more men and have her gang raped. The driver went on to choke the victim and forced her to strip. He allegedly took pictures of her and shared them on Whatsapp.
Senior Bengaluru Police Officer Seemant Kumar Singh, “Based on a mail from the woman, we have registered an FIR. We appreciate the lady for immediately informing the police, bravely.”
Three hours after the police received the complaint the driver Arun V. was arrested. Mr. Singh reported, “We have also issued a notice to Ola Cabs as to why the police verification of this driver was not done.”
Ola released a statement after the incident that read, “We have zero tolerance for such incidents and the driver has been blacklisted from the platform as an immediate action upon receiving the complaint. Safety of customers is our top priority and we are extending our full support to the police authorities in their investigation.”
The woman attached the details of the Ola driver from the application in the complaint. This helped the JB Nagar police to arrest the accused in just a few hours.
Police Officer Singh said, “The driver has been arrested and the cab has been seized. I personally spoke to the victim after the arrest and updated her on the progress of the case. The woman had mailed us the complaint. A case in this regard has been registered by the jurisdictional JB Nagar police.”
A case has been registered at the JB Nagar Police for assault under IPC Section 345B (Use of Criminal Force to Woman with Intent to Disrobe,) 354C (Voyeurism) and 387 (Wrongful Confinement.)
