Bike taxi rider in Kalyan held for attempting to molest, rob woman passenger

The accused, identified as Siddhesh Pardeshi, was apprehended by local residents and handed over to the police following the incident

THANE: The Mahatma Phule police in Kalyan have arrested a 19-year-old bike taxi rider for allegedly molesting a woman passenger and attempting to rob her by threatening her with a knife on Saturday evening.

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The accused, identified as Siddhesh Pardeshi, a resident of Khadakpada in Kalyan, was apprehended by local residents and handed over to the police following the incident.

According to the police, the woman had booked a bike taxi ride around 7pm from Sampada Hospital in Kalyan West to her gym near Kalyan railway station. The booking was accepted by Pardeshi, who arrived at the pick-up point on a Suzuki Access scooter.

A few minutes into the ride, the woman noticed that the rider had deviated from the designated route and was heading towards the Police Residential Colony near Syndicate, a relatively secluded area. When she questioned the route change and tried to resist, she jumped off the moving scooter to escape.

Police said the accused then allegedly assaulted the woman, attempted to snatch her necklace and threw sand in her face to disorient her. As she shouted for help, he allegedly molested her and forcibly took ₹1,000 from her purse while threatening her with a knife to silence her.

Hearing her cries, residents in the area rushed to the spot, overpowered the accused and thrashed him before alerting the police. Beat officers arrived shortly after and took Pardeshi into custody.

Speaking to HT, Baliram Pardeshi, senior police inspector of Mahatma Phule police station, said the accused is a Class VII dropout who had recently enrolled as a bike taxi rider. “Prima facie, it appears that the accused had a premeditated intent to commit offences such as robbery and molestation under the guise of providing transport services. Timely intervention by local residents prevented a more serious outcome,” he said.

The accused has been booked under sections 309(6), 74 and 324(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and has been remanded to police custody till December 18 for further investigation.

Following the incident, police have advised commuters to exercise caution while using app-based two-wheeler and auto-rickshaw services. Officials warned that several unverified and unlicensed vehicles are operating in the Kalyan area, some allegedly driven by individuals with criminal backgrounds who target vulnerable passengers, particularly women and children.