E-Paper
Nainital cab driver held for attempting to rape Delhi woman on solo trup in Uttarakhand
The woman escaped the cab and spent the night in a forest area where she was found by local women on March 6.
The Nainital Police on Saturday arrested a taxi driver accused of assaulting, robbing and attempting to rape a 22-year-old woman passenger from Delhi near Haldwani in Nainital, said police.
The accused has been identified as Deepak Singh Bora, 39, a resident of Fatehpur Mukhani in Haldwani. Track US Iran conflict updates
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manjunath TC said the woman had arrived in Haldwani by bus from Delhi via Dehradun on March 5, from where she travelled to Kathgodam by auto and hired a taxi to Nainital around 11pm.
According to police, around 1.30am, near Baldiyakhan on the Nainital road, the driver allegedly diverted the vehicle onto a deserted road in Patwadangar instead of heading to Nainital. When the woman protested, the driver stopped the car, allegedly misbehaved, assaulted her and tried to rape her, the officer said, adding that the accused also snatched her mobile phone to prevent her from alerting anyone. The woman, however, managed to escape and hide in the forest throughout the night, and was spotted by local women on March 6, who alerted the police and took her to the Tallital police station, the SSP said.
Also read: Over 52,000 Indians returned home from crisis-hit Middle East since March 1, says MEA
Police and forensic teams inspected the scene. Based on her complaint, an FIR was registered against the unidentified taxi driver under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the officer said.
“Using CCTV footage, police identified the taxi and tracked it. The driver was arrested in Bhowali,” he said.
“The safety of tourists and the public is the top priority of the Nainital Police. Strict action will be taken against those who commit such crimes,” the SSP said.
