Gang robs cabbie, forces wife to strip on video

An Ola cab driver was abducted and robbed by unidentified assailants who also forced his wife to strip over a video call.

Driver Shivakumar (name changed) said that around 10.20 pm on Friday, he received a booking from Adugodi and reached the pick-up point. There were four passengers who had booked the cab for a trip to Dommasandra, located 22 km from the pick-up point.

After reaching the destination, they asked him to go further stating that their house was nearby. When the cab reached an isolated place, the four assaulted the driver. He was tied up and then made to sit in the backseat.

Later, the assailants drove the cab to Ramanagara and stopped near a burial ground where they assaulted him again and demanded money. The victim withdrew Rs 9,000 from an ATM and gave it to them. But the kidnappers sought more and took Rs 20,000 from his Paytm. They also made him call his brother-in-law and transfer money to his number, which was again transferred to another bank account from which they withdrew the amount.

The robbers did not stop at that. They took him to another isolated place and asked him to make a video call to his wife. On the call, they asked the driver to tell his wife to strip. When she refused, they assaulted him again. This forced the woman to strip on the video call and the assailants took screenshots of the act. The driver was then blindfolded and taken to Channapatna, where they demanded more money from him and took away his mobile phone.

Later, he was taken to a lodge in the area. Shivakumar requested them to allow him to use the washroom, from where he escaped through the window. With the help of other vehicles, he managed to reach the city and filed a complaint with Adugodi police on Saturday.

The police registered a case of kidnap, robbery, blackmail, assault and outraging modesty of a women. Police have obtained CCTV camera footage of the lodge in Channapatna where the entire episode of him being taken inside the lodge has been captured.