Mohali cab scare: Girl forced out in deserted place at night, cab with fake number plate suspected

However, just minutes into the ride, the driver began playing loud music. When the passenger politely asked him to lower the volume, he responded rudely. Moments later, he changed the drop location on the app without her permission. When she objected, he stopped the car in a dark and deserted stretch and forced her to get out.

Frightened and stranded, the woman, who recently returned from London with her degree in architecture and persuing her internship here at Mohali, immediately called her father, who asked her to share her Google location and nearby photos for help. In the pictures, he noticed a tyre repair shop in the background. Thinking quickly, he searched online for the shop’s phone number, called the owner, and requested him to assist his daughter. The shopkeeper stayed with the woman until help arrived.

Meanwhile, the father contacted Mohali SP Mohit Agarwal, who promptly directed the Phase 1 police to take immediate action. “Those 30 minutes felt endless. It was every parent’s worst fear,” said the father, describing the ordeal.
Later, the woman was safely sent home to Chandigarh in another cab booked through another aggregator.

When ASI Davinder Singh from Phase 1 police investigated the vehicle details, he discovered that the real owner and car bearing the same number (PB01E9028) were actually parked at the Dhaula village bus stand in Barnala district, far away from Mohali.

This raised a question: what car was the woman really in, and who was driving it?

Sources say this isn’t the first such case where the Uber app displayed one car number but a different vehicle arrived. However, in this instance, even the actual car owner was unaware that his vehicle’s number was being illegally used suggesting a fraudulent operation and a grave security lapse.

Eyebrows were raised about safety in such aggregator-operated taxis earlier too and this new modus operandi has raised severe concerns about law & order along with women safety once again.

The girl’s father, who is from Bathinda, has filed a formal police complaint against Uber and the driver. “If a fake car can pick up passengers under Uber’s name, no woman is safe,” he said, urging the police and company to act swiftly. He has sought an appointment with Mohali SSP on Wednesday to appraise him of the incident.

SP Mohit Agarwal confirmed the call received on helpline. “Further investigation is on and reports are awaited,” he said.