Singapore tourist’s scary experience with rickshaw puller in Delhi: ‘He demanded ₹6,000’
A Singapore woman spoke about her unpleasant and scary experience in Old Delhi, where she was scammed by a rickshaw puller.
A Singapore woman spoke about her unpleasant and scary experience in Old Delhi, where she was scammed by a rickshaw puller. Travel vlogger Sylvia Chan said the rickshaw puller first appeared friendly and kind but things later turned ugly when he drove them 5 km away from their destination and demanded a payment of ₹6,000.
Sylvia, who is currently travelling through India, spoke about three ‘scams’ she encountered in the national capital. The first, which is perhaps also the most shocking, details her experience with the rickshaw puller in Old Delhi.
In her Instagram videos, Sylvia said she and her friend met the rickshaw puller in Old Delhi’s Jama Masjid area. He initially seemed kind and told them to pay him only if they were happy with the ride.
The man drove Sylvia and her friend from Jama Masjid to Red Fort, where he declined the payment of ₹100 they had agreed upon earlier. “He told us to pay him later when he picks us up from Chandni Chowk,” said the Singapore woman.
So they exchanged numbers and Sylvia WhatsApped him when they were ready to be picked up. However, on the way to the spice market, the rickshaw puller kept stopping at places where the tourists did not want to stop.
“At Khari Baoli, he actually got down and led us to a store by foot. We wanted to explore on our own but he kept asking us to follow him,” recalled Sylvia.
She said that things “turned ugly” when they informed the rickshaw puller that Krishna Market would be their last stop with him. He then drove them 5 km away from Chandni Chowk and rudely demanded a payment of ₹6,000.
Stranded in an unknown place amid strangers, the women had no choice but to pay up. They gave the driver ₹2,000 and he then drove off without a word.
Take a look at the video below:
Sylvia ended her video by saying that she supports local drivers, but experiences like these make her think it’s safer to hire and Uber.
Her shocking experience in Delhi angered many Instagram users.
“He was giving off bad vibes throughout the tour, taking you to crap places you never asked for and he only asked for money when he was somewhere relatively quiet so you couldnt make a fuss. Terrible behaviour,” wrote one commenter.
“As an Indian … I apologise for this,” another said. “Even most Indians don't want to visit places like Delhi,” a third added.