Bangalore: The Rapido rider who allegedly gang-raped a 23-year-old woman in Bengaluru's Electronics City last week had a criminal past but was still allowed to operate a bike taxi. The Bengaluru Police is planning to send a notice to the company over the lack of due diligence in background checks.
The accused identified as Shahabuddin is settled in Bengaluru but is originally from Bihar. He has a criminal record but he had been working with the company since 2019.
He was arrested in January in connection with a fight. However, he was allowed to go out within a month.
The police are probing if the verification service was outsourced to another agency by the aggregator company as it is mandatory to get a No Objection Certificate (NOC).
A Rapido spokesperson told The Indian Express that the man has been removed from the platform. The company condemned the crime and apologized to the woman who had to undergo the ordeal.
He was arrested under sections that deal with voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, and criminal intimidation.
The second accused Arafath works in a mobile phone shop. He was allegedly involved in the robbery.
The woman attended a party at a friend's house on November 25 and hailed the bike taxi. She was inebriated at the time of the crime.
The duo allegedly took them to another woman's house and raped her.
Also read: Rapido eyes $300 million in revenue in FY 2022-23, seeks government’s support
The next day they told the woman's friend that they had given shelter to her.
However, the woman had body pain and bruises on her body. She went to a doctor who confirmed rape.
The duo and the woman have been arrested.
