Bengaluru Woman Molested, Forced to Strip and Pose for Pictures by Ola Cab Driver

Bengaluru: A 26-year-old woman in Benglauru had a traumatic experience while she was going to the airport as she was held hostage, molested and forced to strip for photos by an Ola cab driver.

Based on her complaint, the driver has been arrested, police said on Tuesday.

The woman, an architect, told police that she was travelling alone in the cab to catch an early morning flight to Mumbai on Friday June 1, when the driver allegedly took a detour, claiming that they would reach faster.

However, once they reached a secluded road, he molested her in the car. The woman said in her police complaint that the cab driver had locked the car doors and windows and threatened her with dire consequences. He also threatened to call more men and have her gang-raped, she said.

The driver also allegedly asked the woman to strip and pose for photos and tried to choke her when she refused. After much resistance, she complied and he shared the photos via WhatsApp, police said.

He also threatened to share the photos on social media platforms if the woman filed a complaint, a cop involved in the investigation said.

The woman took her flight to Mumbai and emailed her complaint to the Bengaluru city commissioner. Based on her complaint, the police registered an FIR and made the arrest.

Police said that a notice has also been sent to Ola Cabs, seeking explanation as to why police verification of the driver was not done.

An Ola spokesperson 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."

Ola also said that the police verification of the driver had been done as per rules. “The driver-partner in question holds a valid police verification check that confirms no criminal cases have been recorded against him. This is a mandatory process for all driver-partners who operate on our platform," the spokesperson added.