'Almost got trafficked, raped…': Woman recounts after taking cab at Bengaluru airport

In a frightening incident at Kempegowda International Airport, a woman faced extortion by a fake Ola cab driver.

In a chilling incident on Friday night, a woman narrowly escaped a potentially dangerous situation after boarding a cab at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru. The driver, who was later revealed to be an impersonator posing as an official Ola cab driver, allegedly attempted to extort money, prompting the woman to seek urgent help.

After realizing the driver was not legitimate, she called 112 for help, leading to the driver being detained by Bengaluru police.(X)

The ordeal began around 10:30 pm when the woman exited the airport and proceeded to the Ola pickup zone, trusting that the airport-sanctioned station would ensure a secure journey home. However, a man driving a sedan told her he will take her to her destination, despite her having requested a 'mini' cab ride.

“Almost got trafficked/raped/looted/assaulted by a random cab driver who was let in by @BLRAirport in the Ola pickup station & impersonated to be one at terminal 1 of BLR airport at 10:30pm had I not called 112, I’d not be here typing this,” the woman wrote in a social media post on ‘X’.

According to the police complaint by the woman, she agreed and got into the cab, however noticing that the driver did not to request the mandatory OTP, nor did he have the Ola Cabs app on his phone. Instead, he asked her to enter her destination in his Maps app, claiming his official app was malfunctioning.

As the journey continued, the driver allegedly demanded an additional fare and when the woman disagreed, he alarmingly suggested that another person in an Ethios car would drop her home instead, for the original fare suggested in her Ola app. Feeling unsafe, the woman asked to be dropped back to the pickup stand at the airport. However, her requests were ignored, and the driver continued driving, later stopping at a petrol station and demanding ₹500 for fuel. At this point, she acted quickly, calling 112 — the emergency police helpline — having been on call with a family member this whole time.

Police responded promptly, arriving at the Ola pickup stand within 20 minutes and apprehending the driver. “Maybe he did all this only for extra bucks, maybe he had worse intentions, maybe he was intoxicated, I DO NOT KNOW. I was lucky enough to escape the worst around 11pm in the middle of nowhere; being on call with a male friend, helped me to call 112 asap & I acted swiftly,” she posted.

The post has amassed more than 1.6 million views, with 13,000 likes. “This is so scary , I'm getting goosebumps while reading your complaint letter,” a social media user responded. The incident has raised questions about the security of transport services at the airport. 

Airport authorities have not yet issued a response on the incident. 

We have reached out to Ola for a statement and will update this story on receiving a reply.