Bengaluru Police arrested a Rapido bike driver on Saturday 22 July 2023 after a woman alleged that he masturbated during the ride. The incident reportedly took place on Friday 21 July 2023 when she hailed the bike taxi after attending a protest against Manipur violence at Town Hall. According to her, the Rapido driver arrived for the ride on a different bike than the one registered on the app, saying that the registered bike was under servicing. Despite this, she proceeded with the journey after confirming the ride through the app.I confirmed my booking through his app and proceeded with the ride. The victim wrote, "During the journey, we reached a remote area with no other vehicles around. Shockingly, the driver began riding with one hand and engaging in inappropriate behavior (Masturbating while riding the bike). Fearing for my safety, I remained silent throughout the ordeal.” The victim further stated, “I asked him to drop me 200 meters before my actual destination to conceal my home location. Once the ride was over, he started relentlessly calling and messaging me on WhatsApp. I had to block his number to stop the harassment." Taking note of the incident, the official handle of Bengaluru Police tweeted, “FIR has been registered in Electronic City PS and the accused has been arrested." Athira Purushothaman took to Twitter to share her ordeal. 

She also shared a screenshot of the messages she received from the driver on WhatsApp, which included a text saying 'love you.’ She further questioned Rapido's safety measures and added that the person kept on calling her from several numbers. "@rapidobikeapp, what measures are you taking for background verification? Your users' safety should be a top priority. Please ensure that people registered with your service can be trusted for a safe travel experience. He keeps calling me from different numbers even now!" she tweeted.

Tags

• rapido harassment
• rapido harassment case

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