The incident of alleged molestation by a woman passenger by an Uber driver took place on Wednesday night but came to light only after a friend of the woman posted about it on Facebook the next day following which the victim approached Santacruz police and lodged a complaint against the accused driver Shehbaaz Shaikh (32). On the basis of the details provided by the complainant, Shehbaaz was arrested on Friday.
Viola Wadia of Mumbai wrote a long Facebook post on Friday describing her friend’s terrible experience of travelling in an Uber. The driver Shehbaaz allegedly tried to molest her friend while she was on her way to Versova from Pali Hill area.
He apparently stopped the car mid-way with the pretense of cleaning the back window and then came around to the backseat.
Viola writes, “She (her friend) asked us if Uber was safe and all of us jumped to assure her that she was in BOMBAY (sic) and she had nothing to worry about.”
On Friday night, Uber responded and agreed to cooperate with the Mumbai Police in probing the case. The company has also suspended the driver permanently and has reported him to the Mumbai Drivers Association.
The accused will be produced in a local court on Saturday.
In December 2014, a woman was raped by an Uber driver in Gurgaon who was later sentenced to life imprisonment.
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)