Bengaluru woman jumps out of autorickshaw after ‘drunk’ driver deviates from route; aggregator suspends him

Bengaluru: A 30-year-old woman reportedly jumped from a moving autorickshaw in Bengaluru’s Hebbal on Thursday night after the driver, suspected of being intoxicated, veered off the designated route, raising safety concerns.

According to her husband, Azhar Khan, the incident occurred around 8:52 pm. The woman had booked the autorickshaw (KA-03-AM-8956) through the Namma Yatri app for a ride from Horamavu to Thanisandra. She became suspicious of the driver’s behaviour shortly after the journey began, but remained silent.

Near Verannapalya in Hebbal, the driver took an unexpected turn, ignoring herobjections.

Alarmed and sensing danger, she jumped from the moving vehicle, paid the driver in cash, and immediately boarded another autorickshaw to reach home safely, Khan said.

Khan noted that his wife’s phone battery died after the driver took the wrong turn. However, before it switched off, she managed to send him a message describing her predicament. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Khan detailed the incident and sought assistance.

Following his post, the Bengaluru city police suggested he lodge a complaint, which he did at the Amruthahalli police station. The police have since registered a case against the driver under BNS Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and initiated efforts to track him down.

In response, Namma Yatri suspended the driver’s account. “Hi Azhar, thank you for connecting us with the police on this matter. Rest assured, we’ve taken immediate action by suspending the driver’s account from our platform.”