The victim of the harassment wrote a Facebook post narrating her ordeal, which has since gone viral.
A woman passenger has alleged that an Uber cab driver harassed her and forced to get down midway during a trip from Mehrauli to Gurgaon following an argument.
The victim, who later narrated her ordeal in a Facebook post that has since gone viral, alleged that the driver even posed as an Uber executive over phone when she tried to complain about his conduct to the company.
In response, the company issued a statement saying that the driver has been “barred from using the app”. “We have suggested police assistance and support in the matter, as the rider may deem fit,” an Uber spokesperson said.
Police said that they haven’t received a complaint from the woman till now.
The woman said the cabbie first chatted with her and then allegedly started harassing and intimidating her during the ride on Wednesday.
“Immediately after the driver picked me up, he started giving undue attention and asked me if I am going to my office and where do I work.
“I got suspicious at that moment and in order to avoid his questions, I started talking over phone. Once I started speaking on the phone, he increased the volume of the radio to the maximum. However, I didn’t confront him as I didn’t want any argument,” she wrote in her Facebook post.
She said that when she stopped speaking over the phone, he started to ask her “creepy questions like; “Madam, where do you stay and where are you from? Do you stay alone? Aap Delhi se nhi lag rhe ho, itna bhi kya narazi hain, aap kuch bhi nhi bol rahe ho? (You do not seem to be from Delhi. Are you offended? You are not saying anything).”
She also alleged that he started driving rashly when she asked him to be professional.
“I told him that I’ll make a complaint against him. He then asked me to get down from the car in the middle of the road and I had to literally get down from the car in the midst of the traffic,” she wrote.
In the post, the woman said, the ordeal did not end there as he started following her. It was only after she tried to read the cab’s number plate and pretended to make a complaint over phone that he went away.
She wrote an email to Uber and got a mail saying that they would call her.
The driver, who had allegedly harassed her, spoke to her posing as an Uber executive, she claimed.
“Once I reached office, I called the same number as advised by my friends and resent a feedback to Uber in written.
“I asked the person if he is from Uber and he was first confused and then told me he was from head office. When I was about to complain, he interrupted me and told me that the driver has made a complaint against me,” she wrote.
While talking to that “executive”, she got suspicious that he was the same driver who had asked her to get out of his cab.
“At last when I told him that I am going to make a police complaint, he told me the same driver will not come to pick me up again.... However, he didn’t listen to me and told me he had spent enough time talking to me,” she wrote.
She asked one of her friends to call back on the number she had got a call from and the person on the other line told her that he is an Uber driver.
Uber said, “The driver has been barred from accessing the app and we are investigating the matter.”
“We have been in touch with the rider and notified her via email as well as calls of the driver being barred as well.
“It seems the driver tried calling her and posing as an executive. We have suggested police assistance and support in the matter, as the rider may deem fit,” the Uber spokesperson said.
Read the full post below:
“This is my last experience with Uber. Today morning I booked a cab for my residence at Mehrauli to my office at Gurgaon, Udyog Vihar phase I. Immediately after the driver picked me up he started giving undue attention and asked me if I am going to my office and where do I work. I got suspicious at the moment and in order to avoid his questions, I started talking over the phone. Once I started speaking on the phone, he increased the volume of the radio to the maximum, however I didn’t confront him as I didn’t want any arguments.
Then, when I stopped talking over the phone he started to ask me creepy questions like; “Madam, where do you stay and where are you from? Do you stay alone? Aap Delhi se nhi lag rhe ho, itna bhi kya narazi hain, aap kuch bhi nhi bol rahe ho?”
Then I asked him to be professional and do his own work. Suddenly he started driving very rash and was about to hit a car. When I asked him to drive properly, he told me “should I hit the other car (gadi thok du kya dusre gadi mein, tab aapko pata chalega”…I told him that I’ll make a complaint against him. He then, asked me to get down from the car in the middle of the road and I had to literally get down from the car in the midst of the traffic.
Once got down, he started following with the car. He kept on following me for 2-3 minutes and then something clicked in mind and I have pretended like reading the number plate of his car and complaining someone. He then drove away.
I had to walk till the Sultanpur metro station and booked a different cab. The story doesn’t end here. In the meantime, I wrote a feedback to Uber explaining about the incident and got a pop up that they will call me. I got a call within 2 minute, however couldn’t pick up as I was about to give the OTP to my OLA driver. Once I reach office, I called in the same number as advised by my friends and resent a feedback to Uber in written. I asked the person if he is from Uber and he was first confused and then told me he was from head office.
When I was about to complaint, he interrupted me and told me that the driver has made a complaint against me. I was really furious and narrate him the entire incident. However I didn’t feel that I was talking to someone in customer service, it seems to me that I was talking to the same driver. At last when I told him that I am going to make a police complaint, he told me the same driver will not come to pick me up again. I tried to explain him that how it can be disastrous if the same person picks other girls and there can be an incident in the future. However, he didn’t listen to me and told me he had spent enough time talking to me. I told this incident to one of my colleague and he also listen to my recorded conversation with the Uber person. My friend told me that it can’t be any professional who has called me, but it has to be the driver himself or any of his friend. Then, my friend called in the same number and asked who it is; he replied that he is a Uber driver.
Two things that worry me is that-
1. What happens to the safety of a female passenger? What if the driver comes to my place and disturbs me again as I am pretty sure he can do anything.
2. The driver's reply clearly states that he doesn't care whether you complain to Uber or not. Because he is pretty sure Uber is not going to take any action against him. What happen if he will involve in something serious in the future. From the experience of my 20 minutes encounter with that shady person, I am very confident that he is capable of doing anything to a girl.
I have been a loyal customer of Uber from last one year as I don’t use any other taxi services other than Uber and I am really anxious to know if Uber is cautious enough to be more vigilant and avoid any future risk by not roping in the same person.
Below are the details of the cab and the person.
Driver name - Sandeep (9015198372). Maruti Suzuki Ritz
Image used is for representational purposes only.
