Bengaluru police arrested a man, working with bike-taxi app ‘Rapido’, on Saturday after a woman alleged that he masturbated during the ride and harassed her after dropping her at the destination. The incident took place on Friday.
K Shivappa (23) from Haveri was arrested on Saturday, based on the complainant’s post on social media, tagging the city police, reports PTI.
In a Twitter thread, a user named Athira Purushothaman narrated her ordeal on Friday, saying that she had gone to attend a protest meet against the Manipur violence at Town Hall, Bangalore.
She said that on her way back home, she had booked a bike ride with ‘Rapido’.
However, “Surprisingly, the driver arrived on a different bike, explaining that the one registered with Rapido bike app was under servicing.”
“I confirmed my booking through his app and proceeded with the ride,” she wrote.
She said that 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 continued.
In order to avoid sharing her home location, she decided to get down 200 metres before the actual destination, she wrote.
“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. Athira also shared a screenshot of the chat with the driver, where reportedly he sent her heart and kissing emojis in the chat and also said “love you”.
Tagging the bike taxi aggregator in the thread, she questioned the measures taken to ensure the safety of the customers, 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.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru City Police tweeted saying that the accused has been arrested, and an FIR was registered in Electronic City police station.
Reacting to the incident, Rapido said in a statement that they deeply regret the unfortunate incident and that acted immediately by suspending the driver from the platform.
“Upon learning about the incident, we took immediate and strict action against the captain involved by suspending him from our platform. We are fully cooperating with the investigating authorities and providing all necessary support to the affected passenger during this challenging time. Our dedicated team is working closely with all relevant parties to ensure a thorough investigation into the incident,” it read.
This is not the first time that Rapido drivers have been accused of sexual harassment. Earlier, in April, a Bengaluru woman was forced to jump off from a fast-moving bike, booked from Rapido, after she was allegedly groped and harassed by the driver. Bengaluru police had registered a case and the accused was arrested.