Overview
- Police arrested 19-year-old Siddhesh Pardeshi after a woman alleged he diverted her route in Kalyan, molested her and stole ₹1,000, with a knife recovered at the scene.
- The FIR states the ride was booked via Uber, while earlier police statements and reports identified the rider as affiliated with Rapido, which the company denies.
- Rapido says the accused was never onboarded and claims authorities confirmed the booking was on another platform, as police continue to probe the rider’s background and ride history.
- The accused has been remanded to police custody until December 18 after locals intervened, overpowered him and handed him to officers.
- Following the incident, the transport department sought explanations from Uber, Ola and Rapido and scheduled an MVD review as RTO crackdowns on unauthorized bike taxis continue.