Uber tenders apology; says safety is highest priority

Uber, a popular app that supplies taxis to users, has tendered an apology after the company's driver allegedly raped a 27-year old woman in Delhi earlier on Friday.

"We are deeply disturbed by the reported incident. Our thoughts are with the victim. We are actively and fully cooperating with authorities," tweeted Uber Delhi.

In a statement released by the company last night, Uber spokeswoman Evelyn Tay said: "Our thoughts are with the victim of this terrible crime and we are working with the police as they investigate. We will assist them in any way we can. It is also our policy to immediately suspend a driver's account following allegations of a serious incident, which we have done."

"Safety is Uber's highest priority and in India, we work with licensed driver-partners to provide a safe transportation option, with layers of safeguards such as driver and vehicle information, and ETA-sharing to ensure there is accountability and traceability of all trips that occur on the Uber platform," the statement added.

The police have detained a person from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the rape of the woman passenger.

According to reports, the victim works in a finance company in Gurgaon. She had hired the cab to go back to her home in Northwest Delhi after dining with friends on Friday night.

The case has reportedly been registered under Sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).