A Rapido bike taxi rider in Kalyan has been arrested for allegedly molesting a woman passenger and robbing her of cash after taking her to a deserted location, police officials said.
According to the Mahatma Phule Police Station, the 26-year-old woman had booked a Rapido bike taxi on Saturday evening around 7 pm to travel from the Chikanghar area to her gym near Kalyan railway station. Instead of heading to the destination, the rider allegedly diverted the route towards a dark and isolated road near a police colony in the Syndicate area.
When the woman objected, the accused reportedly stopped the bike, misbehaved with her, and stole ₹1,000 from her purse. Hearing her cries for help, local residents rushed to the spot, apprehended the rider, and handed him over to the police.
The accused has been identified as 19-year-old Siddhesh Pardeshi, who had been associated with Rapido for the past one and a half months. Police said a knife was recovered from his possession. He has been remanded to police custody until December 18, and authorities are investigating whether he was involved in similar offences earlier.
Following the incident, the state transport department has sought explanations from app-based transport services including Rapido, Ola, and Uber. The department has asked why their temporary operating permissions should not be revoked for alleged violations of transport rules.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has also directed officials to convene a meeting on Tuesday to review the incident and examine other reported irregularities related to app-based taxi services.
