Two held after youth duped by ‘cheaper' cab ride offer from Bengaluru airport
The incident, which was reported to the police on June 23, happened when the victim arrived at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) from Japan on June 20 and was looking to book a taxi to his J P Nagar home.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Following the complaint, KIA police have arrested the two accused identified as Santosh, 46, and Kabiruddin, 33. They were remanded in judicial custody.
According to the complaint filed by Pradeep Penakalapati, a builder from Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh, his son Sandeep, an undergraduate student, had returned from his trip to Japan and walked out of airport Terminal 2 around 1 am. While he was trying to book a taxi, Santosh approached him, offering a ride for Rs 1,000 – cheaper than what cab aggregators would usually charge.
Once Sandeep agreed to the fare, the trip started with Kabiruddin, a native of Assam, behind the wheel.
However, just a few metres into the ride, Kabiruddin passed his phone to Sandeep, saying there was a ride confirmation call that he needed to respond to. Soon, Sandeep realised it was Santosh at the other end of the call, claiming that the base price for the trip would be Rs 899, with Rs 50 charged for every km. Additionally, 1.9% of the total fare would be levied as night surcharge.
Overall, a much higher amount than what was initially agreed upon.
Sandeep disagreed with the amount and told Kabiruddin to stop the vehicle so that he could get down, but Kabiruddin continued to drive. He locked the doors and was speeding. He drove till Esteem Mall, turning a deaf ear to Sandeep's insistence to stop the car.
Kabiruddin then stopped the car and demanded Rs 4,220. Realising he had been trapped, Sandeep made the payment without a fuss.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Kabiruddin then dumped the baggage on the road and sped off.
Upon reaching home, Sandeep narrated his ordeal to his father, who lodged a complaint with KIA police.
A senior police officer confirmed that there have been complaints about drivers picking up passengers, offering cheaper rides from the airport, but eventually coercing them into paying much higher amounts.
He even said that this particular name, Santosh, had figured in some of the other incidents as well, though no one had filed any official plaint against him.
BOX:
Promised, threatened and dumped
* Youth lands at KIA T2. Attempts to book a taxi to his J P Nagar home, when one of the accused, Santosh, approaches him, offering a cheaper ride than cab aggregators
* The victim, an undergrad student, agrees to pay Rs 1,000 for the ride
* Once the trip begins, driver Kabiruddin, the other accused, puts the victim on the phone to Santosh, who demands a base fare of Rs 899, plus Rs 50 for every km, and a night surcharge of 1.9% of the total fare
* Victim declines to accept the new fare and tells Kabiruddin to stop the car so that he could get off, but the latter ignores him
* Once the vehicle reaches Esteem Mall, Kabiruddin demands 4,220 from the victim
* Sensing trouble, the victim pays the amount. Thereafter, Kabiruddin dumps the luggage on the road and speeds off
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
9 minutes ago
- The Print
Rajasthan: MDMA worth over Rs 3 crore seized in Jaisalmer, 2 held under anti-drug crackdown
The team intercepted an SUV allegedly being used to transport 336.4 grams of MDMA by the accused — Prakash (28) and Prem Prakash (28) — residents of Phalodi district. A joint operation was carried out by a district special team (DST) along with local police led by Superintendent of Police Abhishek Shivhare. Jaisalmer, Aug 1 (PTI) Two persons were arrested here and synthetic drug MDMA valued at Rs 3.5 crore in the international market has been seized from them, police said on Friday. Police said the two intended to sell the MDMA in smaller quantities within Jaisalmer town. Shivhare said the crackdown was part of a statewide anti-narcotics drive. The suspects are being interrogated to uncover further links in the supply and distribution chain. According to police, Prakash has a previous case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act registered against him at Mandore police station. Further investigation is underway, they added. PTI COR AG OZ OZ This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
NDTV
14 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Big Headload Fell...": Railway Minister On What Led To Delhi Station Tragedy
New Delhi: A big headload that "fell from one of the passengers" led to the tragedy at New Delhi Railway Station that killed 18 people, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said today in response to a member's query. It resulted in the "tripping of passengers on the stairs", said the minister. In response to a query by Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman in Rajya Sabha, Mr Vaishnaw shared details from the report by a high-level inquiry committee that was constituted to examine the circumstances leading to the "unfortunate incident". Mr Suman had asked the Railway Minister about the status of the report of the committee constituted to investigate the stampede and the corrective steps taken by the government. Eighteen people were killed and 15 were injured on February 15 at the New Delhi Railway Station, which witnessed a surge of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj -- where the Maha Kumbh was underway at the time. In a post on X that night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was "distressed by the stampede". However, in the Railway Minister's statement, there was no mention of the word "stampede". On the day of the tragedy, around 49,000 general tickets were sold at the railway stations, 13,000 more than the daily average, Mr Vaishnaw had informed the Lok Sabha in March. In his response today, the minister stated that sufficient crowd management measures were in place that day to manage the high number of passengers at the station. There was a "gradual increase of passenger density on the foot over bridge (FOB) after 8.15 pm", mentioned the written reply. "Many of the passengers were carrying big headloads, affecting smooth movement on the FOB. There was a big headload falling from one of the passengers, and the pressure was passed on to the stairs of platforms 14 and 15, resulting in the tripping of passengers on the stairs. This led to an incident at 8.48 pm on FOB-3," the minister said. "Consequently, passengers fell on each other," he said. Compensation of Rs 10 lakh was given to the families of each victim, Rs 2.5 lakh to those seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh to those with simple injuries. "A total amount of Rs 2.01 crore has been paid to 33 victims and their family members," Mr Vaishnaw said. To manage large crowds better, the railways have put new measures in place. These include permanent holding areas, access control for confirmed ticket holders at 73 stations, wider foot overbridges, CCTV cameras, and war rooms at major stations. The Maha Kumbh Mela, the 45-day event that ended in February, led to record ticket sales, emphasising the importance of solid crowd management during such events.
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Sr revenue assistant held for bribery
Kendrapada: Vigilance officials have arrested a senior revenue assistant from Vyasanagar Tehsil in Jajpur. The official, Hemanta Kumar Terai, was apprehended on Friday while accepting a bribe for land demarcation services. The arrest followed a complaint lodged by a local resident who alleged that Terai demanded a total bribe of Rs 5,000 to schedule a date for the demarcation of his land.
