Rape-murder of minor girl: Accused with crime history drove cabs in Delhi, ride-hailing firms on police radar
Delhi Police writes to Ola, Uber, Rapido, seeks details of driver’s verification
The accused, Bashu Kumar Singh (29), had been working with the three app-based cab platforms. The Indian Express reached out to all three companies for comment, but received no response.
With the cab driver accused in the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in the Capital found to have five criminal cases registered against him in Bihar, the Delhi Police is learnt to have written to three major cab aggregators — Uber, Ola and Rapido — seeking details on his verification process and employment history.
The accused, Bashu Kumar Singh (29), had been working with the three app-based cab platforms. The Indian Express reached out to all three companies for comment, but received no response.
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Early Monday morning, Singh allegedly kidnapped a 10-year-old girl sleeping on the pavement, raped and killed her. He was arrested later in the day.
During the probe, police found that five cases were filed against Singh in Bihar, dating back to 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022 — two for attempt to murder and three for assault and brawling. He is also alleged to have attacked a police officer in Khagaria district of Bihar.
Police have also questioned the owner of the cab, a resident of Gurgaon. “The police have asked him whether he conducted police verification before hiring him,” said sources.
According to police sources, the probe aims to establish the companies’ hiring procedures for drivers and whether the mandatory police verification was carried out in this case. Investigators will try to establish whether there was negligence, a technical failure, or a procedural lapse by the aggregators, said sources.
“This may allow the police to take legal action against the aggregators if they are found to be flouting the rules,” a police source said.
Police have sought Singh’s complete work history, including when he joined, how many rides he completed, and whether there were any complaints against him in the past. If prior complaints are found, police will examine if any action was taken, said sources.
Sources said the probe would help connect the dots in this case, and also reveal if there were any gaps in the systems meant to ensure passenger safety.
The accused, Bashu Kumar Singh (29), had been working with the three app-based cab platforms. The Indian Express reached out to all three companies for comment, but received no response. 
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