Woman jumps from moving auto in Noida, two held

The auto driver and his relative, both residents of Haibatpur in Charmurti, Greater Noida, were arrested and produced before the court on Tuesday

Noida: A 32-year-old auto-rickshaw driver and his 19-year-old relative have been arrested days after a 20-year-old woman allegedly jumped out of a moving vehicle fearing for her safety in Noida Sector 137 on March 25 night, police said on Wednesday, adding that a case was registered on March 30.

In the FIR, accessed by HT, the woman said, “I felt suspicious after the auto driver started driving rashly. Due to the additional passenger, I jumped out of the moving auto-rickshaw barely 300 metres ahead of the starting point. Subsequently, I dialled the women’s helpline number 1090 to report the incident.” (Representational image)

The auto driver and his relative, both residents of Haibatpur in Charmurti, Greater Noida, were arrested and produced before the court on Tuesday, said officials, adding that the victim, a private company employee, resides at a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Sector 45.

“The woman alleged that on March 25, she had gone to meet a relative in a high-rise in Sector 137. Late at night, around 11:55 pm, she booked an auto-rickshaw using an online transportation service,” said Vinod Kumar Mishra, station house officer (SHO), Sector 142.

“When the auto arrived, the woman spotted another man sitting on the front seat next to the driver. After confirming the one-time-password (OTP), as the vehicle started moving the woman questioned the presence of the additional passenger, fearing for her safety. The driver told her the person was his brother-in-law who would be dropped on the way,” the SHO added.

In the FIR, accessed by HT, the woman said, “I felt suspicious after the auto driver started driving rashly. Due to the additional passenger, I jumped out of the moving auto-rickshaw barely 300 metres ahead of the starting point. Subsequently, I dialled the women’s helpline number 1090 to report the incident.”

The SHO said following the victim’s complaint, a case under Section 281 (rash driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Sector 142 police station on March 30, and the suspects were arrested with the help of the registration number of the vehicle.

During the investigation, the suspect driver told police that he picked up his brother-in-law before accepting the ride as he was returning home. “They believed that boarding an additional passenger would not be an issue,” said a police officer, requesting anonymity, adding that the woman escaped with minor bruises and her condition is stable.