A normal Ola ride on a weekday afternoon in Delhi turned into a horrific experience for 24-year-old designer Priyanka Gusain, when the cab driver began recording her without her consent. The woman soon alerted the police and filed an FIR against the driver, Abhilash Singh.
Gusain took an Ola cab from Chanakyapuri on July 10 around 12:45 pm. She was busy answering phone calls and checking emails when she began feeling uncomfortable. She saw the man looking at her repeatedly through the rear-view mirror, but disregarded the feeling.
Later, she realised that the man had a phone in his hand with the camera pointed at her. She "caught" the man filming her near Moti Bagh in South Delhi, and asked him to stop the car near the Café Coffee Day outlet in Taj Palace in Dhaula Kuan, where she was familiar with the guards.
The area also has frequent police cars patrolling. From there, she dialled 100 and a PCR van, which had female cops, responded.
Singh had been recording Gusain's movements inside the taxi for over three minutes, for which an FIR was registered at the RK Puram Police Station, she told International Business Times India.
However, what the police officers told her made her even more uneasy.
They said that nothing was visible in the video and the man would be out of jail soon as it is a bailable offence.
The driver also apologised to her, touched her feet for forgiveness and told her that it was a first-time offence.
She also registered a complaint with Ola through their app, and posted her experience about how unsafe she felt, on Facebook. The app-based taxi service contacted her and told her that the driver is no longer working for their organisation. They also explained to her about the SOS option on the app, which connects the passenger with the company instantly.
The cab company wrote to Priyanka on Monday night, "Hi Priyanka, we believe our Safety team had contacted you to update the actions taken. The driver partner has been terminated from our platform to ensure such experience by any of our customers is avoided."
The woman in her Facebook post, which was written before Ola responded to the complaint, shared her fears about this driver doing the same thing to some other woman.
The driver is probably out right now, driving some girl somewhere and violating her in ways the law does not seem to recognise," Gusain said.
I was once Humiliated and discriminated by your People in dwarka sector 9 metro station because I am from North East.He pulled me out from the bus and did not allow me to board the Bus.The guy was very rude and abusive and when I asked his name he did not give and in return he said do whatever you want to do.He had 3 more guys along with him who were trying to fight with me but I tried to take his photo but he ran away.Ola Bus Shuttl is the worst service.Your service is not safe for the people," he said.
