Bengaluru police arrests Ola driver who allegedly molested woman, forced her to strip and took pictures

An Ola cab driver in Bengaluru was arrested on Tuesday for molesting a woman when she was on her way to catch an early morning flight. The woman, a 26-year-old architect based in Bengaluru, was travelling to the airport at 2 am on 1 June when the driver took a detour, held her hostage and molested her. The driver also threatened her saying his friends would gangrape her if she wouldn’t comply, reported  Bangalore Mirror. The driver misbehaved with her, forced her to strip and forced her to pose for pictures. When the woman reached Mumbai, she emailed the city police commissioner after which the case was transferred to Bengaluru’s JB Nagar police station. Based on the complaint, the accused was arrested and was booked for molestation, wrongful confinement and attempt to murder, reports CNN-News 18. [caption id=“attachment_4497243” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image.[/caption] A police officer investigating the case told Mumbai Mirror, “The accused reportedly asked her to strip as he wanted her pictures. He tried to strangle her when she refused. Fearing for her life, the woman complied and gave him the photos he wanted. He clicked the pictures on her phone and shared it through WhatsApp to his phone number.” This is not the first time that a private cab driver has been arrested for molesting a passenger. In May 2016, a 23-year-old Belgian woman was allegedly molested by her Ola cab driver in Delhi. A month later, an Ola driver molested a judge  and made sexual remarks at her. In September 2017,  a woman in Hyderabad was subjected to unwelcome staring by her Ola cab driver. There have been multiple cases in other cities where private cabs operate and the lack of women's safety has been highlighted. Bangalore Mirror quoted an Ola spokesperson as,“We regret the unfortunate experience the customer had during the ride. We have zero tolerance for such incidents and the driver has been blacklisted from the platform as an immediate action upon receiving the complaint. Safety of customers is our top priority and we are extending our full support to the police authorities in their investigation.” Ola recently celebrated its 2-year anniversary in India on 30 May.