Bengaluru Rapido driver masturbates enroute, sends 'I Love You' texts to woman
A bizarre and obscene incident has emerged from Bengaluru where a Rapido bike driver was arrested on Saturday after a woman alleged that he masturbated while riding the motorcycle and harassed her on WhatsApp after dropping her at the destination.
Athira Purushothaman took to her Twitter handle to share the incident, stating that she had gone to attend the Manipur violence protest at Town Hall Bangalore and booked a Rapido auto to go home from the venue. After facing multiple cancellations from drivers, she decided to take a bike from the app-based ride-hailing platform.
Accused Driver Arrived On The Different Bike
The woman stated that the driver arrived on a different bike and told her that the registered one has gone for servicing.
“Surprisingly, the driver arrived on a different bike, explaining that the one registered with @rapidobikeapp was under servicing. I confirmed my booking through his app and proceeded with the ride,” she tweeted.
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.
An isolated place and ‘inappropriate behaviour’
The woman stated that they reached an isolated area with ‘no other vehicles around’. At this point the driver was engaged in ‘inappropriate behaviour’ while she started fearing for her safety.
“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 behaviour (Masturbating while riding the bike). Fearing for my safety, I remained silent throughout the ordeal,” she explained in the tweet.
To avoid further problems, Athira decided to get down from the bike 200 metres before the destination.
“Once the ride was over, he started relentlessly calling and messaging me on WhatsApp. I had to block his number to stop the harassment,” she said.
Purushothaman also shared a screenshot of her chat with the Rapido driver. In the screenshot the heart and kissing emojis can be seen by the driver’s phone number. He also said the woman “loves you”, in the chat.
The Woman Questioned Rapido’s Safety Measure
Furious over the incident, Athira 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.
Taking note of the bizarre incident on July 22, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South-East Division, Bengaluru City Police, CK Baba informed on Twitter that they have arrested the “real sicko on wheels”.
“BCP won’t stand for such indecent antics! A Criminal case is lodged at E’ City PS on a guy who was pretending to be rapido bike rider! We’re swifter. Keep it clean or face the full force of the law! #SafeCity,” he tweeted.
An FIR has been registered against the accused in Electronic City PS and further investigation is underway.
