An Indian man, working as an Uber Eats delivery driver in the UK, has been jailed for raping a customer. Jitendrakumar Prajapati, 47, raped the woman in January this year — he delivered food to her house before returning to assault her.
According to Lincolnshire Police, Prajapati was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to rape. He was also sentenced concurrently for 18 months for sexual assault and served a deportation order.
Asked woman for help
Police say that Prajapati used to work as a delivery driver for Uber Eats in the town of Boston in Lincolnshire, England. On January 14, he delivered food to a woman’s house around lunchtime.
The Indian man struck up a conversation with the customer, claiming that he had just moved to the area and didn’t know anyone, and that he needed help getting a visa. He then asked the woman for her number and Instagram details under the pretext of keeping in touch with her for visa purposes.
Police say that Prajapati preyed on the victim’s good nature to swap phone numbers and personal details.
{{/usCountry}}Police say that Prajapati preyed on the victim’s good nature to swap phone numbers and personal details.
{{/usCountry}}Later that same day, the Uber Eats driver returned to the victim’s home. The two chatted on general topics before things took a sinister turn and Prajapati raped her.
‘Sorry’ text after rape
According to police, Prajapati sent the victim an apology text after raping her and leaving her house. “Hey I am sorry,” he wrote.
He then changed his WhatsApp username and enabled ‘disappearing chat after 24 hours’.
Prajapati and the victim later exchanged more messages. The victim accused Prajapati of raping her while he begged her not to tell and apologised.
(Also read: Indian-origin man stripped of UK citizenship over rape conviction)
The victim contacted the police and an investigation was launched. Cops managed to trace Prajapati using the vehicle he had used for delivery. “He was swiftly in custody by around 9pm, having been arrested on suspicion of rape and non-fatal strangulation, a charge which was later dropped at court,” Lincolnshire Police said in their press release.
The detective investigating this case, Detective Constable Jessica McKiernan, said: “Bringing this offender to justice was made possible by the extraordinary courage shown by the victim in coming forward at the earliest opportunity. Her trust in us allowed our officers to begin swift and focused inquiries, which led to the suspect being located within hours. Her bravery has been vital in ensuring he is now held to account. We hope this outcome offers her some sense of reassurance as she moves forward on her own terms.”