Bengaluru woman says Ola cab driver molested her, tried to kill her

Ola said it “regrets” the incident and it had “blacklisted” the driver who allegedly molested a 26-year-old woman in Bengaluru.

An Ola cab driver was arrested on Monday on charges of molesting and attempting to murder an architect travelling to the city airport on June 1.

The Ola driver allegedly told the woman his friends would gangrape her if she wouldn’t comply. (Hemant Mishra/Mint Photo)

Police said the 26-year-old woman staying in the Jeevan Bima Nagar area of Bengaluru had booked a cab late at night to catch a flight to Mumbai. The driver, identified as Arun V, allegedly stopped the car in a deserted street en route and attempted to molest her.

Police said Arun threatened to kill the woman when she tried to resist him. Later, he dropped her to the airport and warned her against approaching the auythorities, they added.

The woman wrote an e-mail to the Bengaluru police commissioner on her parents’ advice. “Once we received the mail, we decided to lodge a suo motu case against the driver and arrested him within hours on Saturday,” said Seemanth Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, East Sub-division.

“The victim was very courageous in approaching the police,” he said. A case has been booked under Sections 354 (sexual harassment), 342 (wrongful restraint), 307 (attempt to murder), and 506 (criminal intimidation).

On Monday, the police produced Arun in front of a magistrate and he has been remanded in judicial custody for four days. A police officer investigating the case said the identification parade would be conducted most likely on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for Ola said: “We regret the unfortunate experience the customer had during the ride. We have zero tolerance for such incidents and the driver has been blacklisted from the platform as an immediate action upon receiving the complaint. Safety of customers is our top priority and we are extending our full support to the police authorities in their investigation.

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