Bengaluru: A Bengaluru woman jumped off a fast-moving Rapido bike taxi after she was allegedly groped and harassed by the driver. The incident happened in Yelahanka New Town police station limits on the night of April 21, police said on Wednesday. The video of the victim jumping off the bike has gone viral on social media.
According to police the 30-year-old woman who works as an architect booked a Rapido bike taxi to Indiranagar on April 21 at 11.10 pm. The driver took the phone of the woman for OTP and changed the location. While he started heading towards a different location, the woman retaliated but he did not respond.
“She even snatched her phone from the driver and alerted her friend for some help. She also complained that she was groped by the driver, and she jumped off a speeding bike near BMS College. The CCTV footage shows a girl falling on a road from a bike after she attempted to escape,” said a senior police officer.
The next day, she filed a police complaint. Police tracked down the accused and arrested him. “We arrested the accused, and he is now in judicial custody. We have registered a case under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” the senior officer said.
The accused is Deepak Rao (28), hailing from Hyderabad. According to the police, he has been working in Bengaluru for 4 years. He started off as a food delivery executive. For the past 2 years, he has been working with a bike taxi aggregator. Police have reached out to their counterparts in Hyderabad to verify his antecedents.
{{/usCountry}}The accused is Deepak Rao (28), hailing from Hyderabad. According to the police, he has been working in Bengaluru for 4 years. He started off as a food delivery executive. For the past 2 years, he has been working with a bike taxi aggregator. Police have reached out to their counterparts in Hyderabad to verify his antecedents.
{{/usCountry}}DCP (South East division) BM Laxmi Prasad said strict instructions were given to bike taxi aggregators and those running food delivery apps to check the antecedents of the people who attach their vehicles on their platform. “In our division, this is the first case. Our commissioner called on all cab aggregators, bike taxi services, and food delivery partners to discuss the safety of women and citizens,” he said.
Rapido is yet to respond to the incident.