SUMMARY
In a video that has gone viral, a Bengaluru woman was seen jumping off a speeding bike to, allegedly, save herself from being molested by a Rapido driver
The incident took place just minutes away from the bike taxi startup’s Bengaluru headquarters
In November, two accused, including a Rapido driver, allegedly raped a 22-year-old woman from Kerala in Bengaluru
In another shocking incident involving a Rapido driver, a woman leapt off a moving bike to avoid an alleged molestation bid in Bengaluru. The incident took place just minutes away from the bike taxi startup’s headquarters in the city.
The incident which was caught on camera took place on April 21 in the vicinity of the city’s Yelahanka New Town Police Station. A 27-year-old native of Andhra Pradesh has been apprehended in connection with the case
Inc42 has reached out to Rapido for a comment. This story will be updated with the comment when it is received. Meanwhile, sources told Inc42 that the ride-hailing platform has launched a probe into the matter.
Police officials told IANS that the victim boarded a Rapido bike just before midnight to reach a friend’s place in Indiranagar. During the ride, however, the driver began sexually harassing the victim and even took the woman’s phone under the premise of getting the OTP.
Later, when the accused deviated from the set route, the victim questioned him and it was then that he sped the bike. Sensing trouble, the woman jumped from the vehicle near BMS College in Yelahanka’s Nagenahalli, and, afterwards, the security personnel at the college gate rushed to help the victim. Meanwhile, the accused allegedly fled the spot but was later nabbed by the cops.
In the ensuing melee, the girl reportedly suffered multiple minor injuries. The victim then borrowed a mobile phone from a passerby and alerted family and friends about the incident.
Afterwards, the police were informed, which obtained CCTV footage of the incident. A preliminary probe into the incident revealed that the accused was inebriated at the time of the incident, and further probe into the case is currently underway.
Meanwhile, the clip of the incident has gone viral on social media in which a woman can be seen jumping off a fast-moving bike. After falling to the ground, the woman can be seen immediately getting up and running to the other side of the road frantically. The bike driver, on the other hand, can be seen taking a brief halt before fleeing the spot.
Rapido Under Fire Over Women’s Safety
The incident adds to the growing list of women’s safety-related incidents involving Rapido drivers. In November last year, two persons, including a driver working with a bike taxi startup, allegedly raped a 22-year-old woman from Kerala in Bengaluru.
While Rapido later claimed that it had delisted the driver from its platform, it subsequently came to the fore that one of the accused also had a criminal case registered against him in the past.
While it claims to have a ‘zero tolerance policy’ towards violence or indecent behaviour, many have repeatedly complained that getting in touch with Rapido’s customer care executives, post the completion of the ride, is a cumbersome task.
This is not the first time that ride-hailing platforms or consumer-facing startups have landed in hot waters over women’s safety.
In January, a female Uber driver was allegedly attacked by unidentified men near Delhi’s Kashmere Gate. Despite multiple frantic calls and failed attempts at activating the panic button, the victim’s calls for help to Uber went unheeded.
As if this was not enough, a delivery partner with the quick-commerce platform Zepto was arrested for allegedly molesting a woman in Mumbai in December last year.
Women’s safety has been a key issue guiding Karnataka and the Delhi government’s proposal to ban bike taxis in their respective regions.
The latest incident has cast a spotlight on the growing bike taxi ecosystem and the rising instances of molestation involving the platforms’ drivers. With the space expected to balloon over the next few years, questions have also been raised over such startups in dealing with these horrific cases.
