Pune News: Ola cab driver arrested for molesting woman passenger on Dehu Road

29 May 2024 

Pune, May 29, 2024 – Dehu Road police have arrested a cab driver for allegedly molesting a woman passenger sitting in the cab. The incident took place on 14^th May under Dehu Road police station limits. The accused, identified as Rahul Pandurang Mhaske, had gone into hiding. On May 14, a woman booked Rahul’s cab to Koregaon Park for her friend’s birthday function. Instead of taking her to KP, he brought it to Dehu Road on the pretext of running out of CNG. She felt uneasy about the route and her increasing distance from her destination as she was familiar with Koregaon Park. 

Rahul slowed down the car and molested her as she was alone. She managed to free herself and escape from the cab. According to her statement, he did not chase her due to the presence of traffic and street lights. A rickshaw driver saw her in a frightened state and safely brought her home. Later, the woman lodged a complaint with the Dehu Road police station.

Rahul, originally from Thergaon, had been living in Pune city. The police have finally tracked him down based on a technical investigation and arrested him. As the victim did not speak Hindi or Marathi and her English was weak, communication with the police was challenging. So, she narrated the incident to an interpreter in her native language who then translated it to Hindi. This enabled her complaint to be filed effectively despite the language barrier. The police made consistent efforts to visit each location she mentioned to gather evidence and track the driver down.

Pimpri Chinchwad police have also seized the vehicle from the driver. Further investigation in the case is being done by Dehu road police. A resident of Thergaon, the driver was living in Pune, keeping his identity undisclosed.