Bike taxi rider held for molesting, robbing woman passenger in Kalyan

Thane, Dec 16 (PTI) Police on Tuesday said an Uber bike taxi rider has been arrested at Kalyan in the district for allegedly molesting a 26-year-old woman passenger and robbing her. Earlier on Monday, police had identified the accused as a Rapido bike taxi rider.

Siddhesh Pardeshi (19), a class VII drop-out, has been arrested under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 309 (robbery) and 74 (assault or criminal force to woman with the intention of outraging her modesty) for the incident which took place on the evening of December 13, police said.

On Monday, Mahatma Phule police station's senior inspector Baliramsingh Pardeshi had said that the accused was operating a Rapido bike taxi, but later the First Information Report (FIR) made it clear that the woman had booked a bike taxi through the Uber app for going to a gym near the Kalyan railway station.

Instead of proceeding to the intended destination, Pardeshi allegedly turned near Syndicate area and rode the bike into a dilapidated and deserted building. The woman jumped off and injured her leg in a bid to escape, while the accused allegedly grabbed her hand and behaved with her in an "indecent manner," the FIR said.

He then threatened her showing a knife and a pepper self-defence spray, claiming that it contained acid, and snatched her purse and took Rs 1,000 from it, the FIR stated.

The woman, however, managed to raised an alarm, alerting local residents who caught hold of the accused. Pardeshi has been remanded in police custody till December 18 and further probe is on, police said. PTI COR KRK