A Mumbai-based entrepreneur has slammed a new ‘prank’ that is going viral on social media. Ritu Hathi shared a social media post about how the apps being used to kill e-rickshaw batteries, thereby stalling vehicles, have real-life consequences for people who depend upon e-rickshaws to earn a living.
The viral apps used to kill e-rickshaws
A security gap in the viral BAT-BMS and Lossigy apps has fuelled a viral social media trend in which pranksters use these apps to remotely cut power to moving e-rickshaws, leaving drivers stranded and raising serious road safety concerns.
Drivers said the vulnerability has been exploited on-and-off for months but the problem has surged in recent days, coinciding with the surge in viral reels.
(Also read: Viral chaos as battery management apps turn smartphones into ‘kill switch’ for e-rickshaws)
Mumbai founder slams trend
Ritu Hathi, the co-founder of performance hydration company UP&RUN, said she witnessed an e-rickshaw driver dragging his stalled vehicle to the mechanic. Hathi noted how the driver lost a day’s income because of someone’s ill-thought prank.
“Was on the road when a huge traffic jam suddenly happened. An e-rickshaw had stopped in the middle of the road because someone used that viral app to stop it,” she posted on X.
{{/usCountry}}“Was on the road when a huge traffic jam suddenly happened. An e-rickshaw had stopped in the middle of the road because someone used that viral app to stop it,” she posted on X.
{{/usCountry}}Hathi described how the driver pushed the e-rickshaw to the side and all his passengers left. The poor man was then forced to drag his vehicle to a mechanic.
“Driver pushed it to the side. Every passenger left. Then he dragged it to the nearest mechanic. Felt really bad for him. Lost a day's income and now has to pay the mechanic too,” the entrepreneur wrote.
Hathi criticised the pranksters who seem to derive joy from hurting others — especially the vulnerable who are just trying to earn some money.
“People who enjoy harming someone trying to earn a living, someone who's not even rich, I don't understand what thrill they get from it,” she wrote.
“Even when a single order gets returned in my business, I feel bad, and my livelihood is not as vulnerable as that e-rickshaw driver's. Can only imagine what he must have been going through,” she concluded.
Post divides opinion
Her post drew mixed reactions on X. “This is karma. Those tirris never follow traffic rules and never care for others on the road,” one X user opined.
“Indians are immoral people. Low trust country,” another said.
“What's wrong with people!? Some miscreants just can't understand how hard it is for many to source a day's livelihood. E-ricks might be the root for many traffic issues but there's a method to appeal and rectify. These acts can only be done by terrible humans,” a third person opined.