'Almost Got Trafficked'  Woman's recount terrifying experience after boarding fake cab at Bengaluru Airport

Woman's Terrifying experience at Kempegowda International Airport

Woman's recount terrifying experience: A woman in Bengaluru had a terrifying experience at Kempegowda International Airport recently when she got into a cab she thought was an Ola. But the driver turned out to be an impersonator who tried to extort money from her. Luckily she sought help and escaped the situation.

In a post on X, the woman wrote that she booked an Ola cab from the pickup station at the airport on Friday at 10:30 pm. But the driver who was not assigned to her approached her and offered to drop her to her destination.

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She got in despite her doubts and soon realized the driver didn’t ask for the OTP or use the Ola app. He asked her to enter her destination in his Maps app saying his official app was not working. As they drove, he asked for extra fare.

When she refused, he said he would transfer her to another car for the original fare. Feeling threatened, she asked to be dropped back to the airport pickup stand. He ignored her requests and stopped at a petrol station and asked for ₹500 for fuel.

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She remained calm and called 112, the emergency number and kept a family member informed throughout. Police arrived within 20 minutes at the Ola pickup stand and arrested the driver who was later identified as Basavaraj.

''Almost got trafficked/raped/looted/assaulted by a random cab driver who was let in by @BLRAirport in the Ola pickup station & impersonated to be one at terminal 1 of BLR airport at 10:30 pm had I not called 112, I'd not be here typing this,'' the woman wrote on X.

almost got trafficked/raped/looted/assaulted by a random cab driver who was let in by @BLRAirport in the Ola pickup station & impersonated to be one at terminal 1 of BLR airport at 10:30pm
had I not called 112, I’d not be here typing this pic.twitter.com/QpFdlRJFjF

— Dr. N (@doctorniikii) November 9, 2024

The incident has raised concerns about airport security and ride-hailing safety protocols. One user wrote, ''This is so scary, I'm getting goosebumps while reading your complaint letter.'' Another commented, ''Omg hope you're doing okay now, this exact thing happened to me a few months back and I got out after it wasn't showing on the app that I'd gotten in the cab.''

A third wrote, ''What a sad situation for us! Be on the lookout constantly. Is there never a time to unwind and feel safe while driving home after a long day of travelling?'' A fourth said, ''He should be punished severely and should be set as an example for all culprits.

Yet another added, ''@BLRAirport must ensure the safety of passengers, the airport is far away from the city and is quite isolated. This could have been very serious.''

Similar incidents have been reported in Bengaluru where women have been harassed or threatened by cab or auto drivers. There’s also been a reported cab scam targeting women especially at the airport involving drivers from Ola and Uber.

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