Police hunt rogue autowallah

A Bangalore woman’s evening auto-rickshaw ride took a scary turn.

When she complained that the vehicle’s meter did not work, the driver, who was drunk, took her to a deserted stretch of road and claimed he was a serial killer and a rapist, and that she was going to be his next victim. He then snatched her purse, pushed her out of the vehicle and fled.

The woman’s horror story began when she boarded the auto outside UB City, where she works, around 7.15 pm to go home.

A police officer was quoted as saying: “After the victim boarded the auto, she noticed that the meter was not working and she pointed this out to the driver. He promised to charge a flat fare of Rs100 to drop her home. However, he then asked for Rs200, claiming that he needed it to fill up with gas and would adjust it against the fare at the end of the journey. As he spoke, the woman realized that the driver was drunk. After tanking up, the driver asked for more money but this time the woman refused.”

He added: “As they were arguing, the driver took a detour and drove past Ibis Hotel on Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road off Richmond Road. He drove to a dark place and threatened the woman, saying he was a serial killer and rapist and that she would be his next victim. He then snatched her purse and pushed her out of the auto before driving off in the dark.”

Reportedly, during the argument, the victim tried to check the driver’s details, but found that his driver’s license was not on display. However, she did manage to take the driver’s picture.

The woman then called her colleague for help, returned to the place where she had boarded the auto, and reported the matter to the traffic police.

The Cubbon Park police have registered a case under sections 354 (using criminal force with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty) and 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code.

“The search for the driver is on. The accused’s pictures are being circulated and shown to other auto drivers to identify him,” the officer said.