Bengaluru Woman Says Rapido Driver Masturbated While Driving, Arrested

The official handle of Bengaluru Police also tweeted, "FIR has been registered in Electronic City PS and the accused has been arrested."

Bengaluru Police arrested a Rapido bike driver on Saturday after a woman alleged that he masturbated while riding a bike and harassed her on Whatsapp after dropping her at the destination. Athira Purushothaman took to Twitter on July 21 to share her ordeal and said that she had gone for the Manipur violence protest at Town Hall Bangalore and booked a Rapido auto to go home from the venue. However, after multiple cancellations, she decided to take a bike from the app ride-hailing platform.  Thread 🧵#SexualHarassementToday, I went for the Manipur Violence protest at Town Hall Bangalore and booked a @rapidobikeapp auto for my way back home. However, multiple auto cancellations led me to opt for a bike instead. pic.twitter.com/bQkw4i7NvO I asked him to drop me 200 meters before my actual destination to conceal my home location. Once the ride was over, he started relentlessly calling and messaging me on WhatsApp. I had to block his number to stop the harassment.

"Surprisingly, the driver arrived on a different bike, explaining that the one registered with @rapidobikeapp was under servicing. I confirmed my booking through his app and proceeded with the ride," she said in the long thread.

Ms Purushothaman said that they reached an isolated area with "no other vehicles around". At this point the driver was engaged in "inappropriate behavior" and she feared for her safety. "During the journey, we reached a remote area with no other vehicles around. Shockingly, the driver began riding with one hand and engaging in inappropriate behavior (Masturbating while riding the bike). Fearing for my safety, I remained silent throughout the ordeal," she continued.