Police to sensitise Gurgaon commuters on dangers of hitching a ride

The campaign follows a report by Hindustan Times on how city commuters are forced to hitch a ride in private vehicles due to the lack of adequate transportation facilities in Gurgaon

The Gurgaon police on Thursday started a campaign with a view to spread awareness among commuters regarding their safety while hitching a ride in an unverified private cab.

The campaign, launched by the Gurgaon police on Thursday, aims to make people aware of the dangers of taking a lift from private vehicles. (Sanjeev Verma/HT FILE PHOTO)

The campaign aims to make people aware of dangers of taking a lift in private vehicles and cabs. Starting Thursday, flex boards will be put up at crucial junctions across the city to make people aware of the dangers of this practice.

“We have asked all station house officers in the city to monitor the prime areas of the city to curb such crimes,” Ravinder Kumar, PRO, Gurgaon police, said.

He also said that Gurgaon police will distribute pamphlets to commuters at Hero Honda Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Sankar Chowk, Subhash Chowk and at Udyog Vihar to make people aware of the threat in hitching ride in unverified cabs.

The flex boards, which will be installed, will have a picture of a cab driver with co-passengers with face hidden and one door open with a symbolic suicidal noose rope. This image will provide a clear picture of the danger that people might get into if they are not vigilant, Kumar said.

The move comes after the Hindustan Times highlighted the issue of affordable cabs in the city and how commuters are forced to hitch rides in cabs in the absence of an adequate public transport system.

It was highlighted that commuters, both men and women, use unverified cabs due to lack of other options in the city, which has become fatal many times.

Read I Gurgaon’s public transport not so public friendly

On December 23, a 19-year-old woman working in a Gurgaon mall hired a cab but was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by two men in the cab at an isolated spot along the Delhi-Haryana border.

On December 15, a 27-year-old auto executive who hitched a ride in a cab from strangers near Gurgaon bus stand was found dead in the forested area of Mahipalpur in Delhi near the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. The accused robbed the victim of his cash, mobile phone, and ATM cards before killing him with a muffler.

On December 17, a 33-year-old resident, Pradeep Kumar, manager of a city-based restaurant, was robbed of Rs10,500 by four men in a cab, from whom he had taken a lift on MG Road to go towards IFFCO Chowk.