Hyderabad: Cabbie assaults man outside hospital over cancelled ride, forces victim to touch feet

HYDERABAD: Infuriated over a passenger cancelling a trip after refusing to pay extra fare, a driver working for a ride-hailing app tracked him down to AIG Hospital in Gachibowli and allegedly assaulted him in full public view on Sept 15.

The Raidurgam police registered a case on Thursday after the victim lodged a complaint, and initiated a manhunt to nab the accused.In his police complaint, the victim, named Balaji, a 34-year-old from Uppal, said he had taken his niece for a check-up to AIG Hospital on Sept 15. At around 10 pm, the man booked a Rapido cab ride home. A rider named N Suresh was assigned, with vehicle number TS 26 T* 4**6. "The driver then called me on my phone before arriving at the pickup point, and then demanded that I pay an additional amount over and above the fare shown in the app," Balaji said in his complaint.

"I questioned the demand for extra money. Soon, an argument broke out between us and I cancelled the booking," Balaji said.Minutes later, the cab driver arrived at the pickup point in front of AIG Hospital, with three associates searching for the victim. Sensing trouble, the victim, who had already booked another cab, asked the driver to pick him up at the hospital's main gate. However, the group intercepted the cab, and confirmed Balaji's identity from the driver's phone.

"One of them punched me in the stomach, while all four hurled abuses at me in front of my niece. Threatening to unleash more violence unless I apologised, they forced me to kneel and touch their feet while they filmed the episode on a mobile phone," Balaji alleged in the complaint.The video later appeared on social media, portraying the victim as a drunk passenger who was taught a fitting lesson by cab drivers. "The video caused severe humiliation to me and my family.

Please take appropriate legal action against the accused and remove the video from online platforms," the victim requested the police in his complaint.Raidurgam police registered a case against Suresh and others under sections 126(2) (punishment for wrongful restraint), 115(2) (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) read with 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on Thursday."We are trying to locate the accused driver and arrest him. We're also trying to get the video removed from different portals by contacting their administrators," said an investigator from Raidurgam police station.