Driver spams customer with nude photos after she cancels ride
What's the story
In a shocking incident, a cab driver in Bengaluru sent pornographic material to a woman after she canceled her cab booking at the last minute. The victim, who is the mother of a six-month-old daughter and a nine-month-old infant, filed a police complaint. She also raised the issue of cybersecurity and asked how the driver managed to get her number from a cab aggregator.
Context
Why does this story matter?
There has been an uptick in cases of sexual misconduct by cab drivers in the country. Earlier this week, a cab driver in Assam's Guwahati was ousted from his job after a female passenger filed a harassment complaint against him. In a separate case, Manali Gupta, a content creator based in Jaipur, filed a complaint accusing her Uber driver of misbehaving with her.
Insight
Victim apologized to cab driver for canceling ride
The victim said that the incident happened when she went to school to pick up her daughter. She initially booked the cab through an aggregator but took an autorickshaw after the car did not arrive on time. She further said that she even apologized to the driver, as he claimed to have covered a distance of 5km to reach her location.
Police
Police register case for sexual harassment
Per Times of India, the cab driver, identified as Dinesh, sent her obscene messages and nude photographs. Narrating her ordeal, she said "My neighbors took my phone when he called and scolded the driver. He deleted the messages after my neighbors warned him that they had screenshots of the messages." A police case has been registered under IPC Section 354A and the IT Act.
Policies
Uber, Ola cab cancellation policies
Uber and Ola are the main cab aggregators operating in India. Recently, Uber India announced that users could cancel rides for free even after the driver has arrived at their location if they feel threatened or unsure about their safety. Ola waves off its cancellation charges if the driver does not show up within 5 minutes of the estimated arrival time.