Bengaluru cabbie held for raping passenger

BENGALURU: A 25-year-old driver attached to an app-based cab aggregator was arrested on charges of allegedly raping a hotel employee who hired his vehicle early Wednesday morning.
Based on the woman’s complaint, Jeevan Bima Nagar police arrested Devarajulu under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and took him into police custody. Both the woman and the accused were subjected to medical tests by Wednesday afternoon.While Devarajulu hails from Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, and is a resident of Avalahalli, the woman stays in east Bengaluru.
Police said the incident took place after 3.40am Wednesday when the woman boarded the cab from HSR Layout. “I had met my friends in an apartment in HSR Layout on Tuesday night. After partying with them, I decided to return to my apartment. I was alone. I booked the cab through the app around 3.30am and it arrived at 3.40am,” she said.
She sat on the back seat and felt a bit dizzy. “I slept for a while. After some time, I realised the cab had stopped and the driver was lying on me. The cab was parked near my apartment. I shouted for help, pushed him away and jumped out of the vehicle. He drove away immediately,” she said in her complaint.
Four special teams were formed to nab the driver. By afternoon, he was traced to his house near Avalahalli in Bengaluru Rural district and arrested. “Devarajulu is a bachelor and had come to the city in search of a job around the end of 2019,” sources said.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)