A taxi driver was arrested in Nainital after he allegedly attempted to rape a tourist, assaulted her and robbed her phone after taking her to a deserted road instead of her destination in the district, police said.
According to police, the woman had travelled from to Haldwani on Thursday and hired a taxi to travel to Nainital later that night from Kathgodam. At 1.30 am, the taxi driver, identified as Deepak Singh Bora (39), allegedly diverted the vehicle from the route and instead drove towards a deserted road.
“The woman was noticing the diversion on the map and when she objected, he stopped the vehicle, jumped to her seat, assaulted her and allegedly attempted to rape her. She kicked him out of the car and beat him with her umbrella. She later ran away and hid behind a raised platform. He had also snatched her mobile phone to prevent her from recording the incident on camera,” said a police officer.
After the incident, the survivor was spotted by a woman the next morning and was taken to the nearby village. The headman of the village informed the police on Friday morning.
Using CCTV footage, the vehicle number and the GPS system installed in the vehicle, police traced and arrested the driver.
Police said a forensic team inspected the spot, and evidence was collected. Based on the woman’s complaint, an FIR was registered under sections 64, 309(6) and 137 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police also recovered the woman’s mobile phone and seized the vehicle used in the incident.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Nainital, Manjunath T C, said a case was registered immediately, and the accused was arrested within 10 hours. “Medical examination of the woman was conducted, and her statements recorded. The accused, who is a Haldwani resident, was traced and arrested. The accused was handed the vehicle over by the owner of the car on February 27. The owner had not undertaken police verification of Bora, nor did he have a membership card to ply a taxi. We have initiated action against him,” the SSP said.
