Bengaluru: Rapido bike rider booked for molesting woman passenger in Indiranagar

Bengaluru: A Rapido bike rider has been arrested for allegedly molesting a woman passenger during a ride from BTM Layout to Indiranagar.

According to the FIR, the accused, Mohammed Khaja (21), a resident of DJ Halli, was riding a Rapido bike (KA-03-JR-6169) when the incident occurred.

A senior police officer said that the complainant (25), a resident of Indiranagar, stated that she booked the ride around 8.10 pm on March 26. During the journey, Khaja allegedly behaved inappropriately and repeatedly touched her despite her objections. He even sought permission to touch her inappropriately, the complaint stated.

Sensing danger, the woman contacted a friend and informed her about the situation. Acting on the friend’s advice, she began recording a video of the incident. Despite noticing that he was being recorded, the accused allegedly continued his misconduct.

"The victim has shared the video footage of the incident as an evidence", the police officer added.

Based on the complaint, Indiranagar police registered a case of sexual harassment and arrested the accused immediately.

Rapido's reaction

Rapido unequivocally condemns the incident reported in Bengaluru. The behaviour described is unacceptable and has no place on our platform. The individual involved has been immediately disbarred, and we are extending our full cooperation to the authorities as the investigation progresses," said a statement from the company.

"We uphold a gold standard in safety, with all captains undergoing stringent onboarding processes that include background verification, KYC checks, and world-class training in conduct and safety.

This is a clear case of individual misconduct and does not reflect the standards we expect from our captain community. We remain committed to swift and decisive action in all such instances," the statement added.