During the investigation, the police found that Rayal had discarded the victim's bag after removing the cash. (Express photo)Delhi Police arrested the driver of an app-based bike taxi on Monday for allegedly molesting a woman passenger and robbing her of cash and belongings after diverting the ride from her destination.
Ajay Rayal, 28, allegedly molested the woman, who had arrived from Uttarakhand at the Anand Vihar Interstate Bus Terminus (ISBT) by bus at around 3.40 pm on October 24, after taking her to an isolated stretch near the Commonwealth Games Village. She had booked a bike-taxi ride to Khoda Colony.
“When the victim raised an alarm, two people came out from a nearby jhuggi. Seeing them, the accused fled the spot after snatching her bag containing Rs 5,000 and personal belongings. He also attempted to snatch her mobile phone and pushed her aside before escaping,” said Abhishek Dhania, DCP East.
The woman approached the Patparganj Industrial Area police station, where an FIR was registered the following day under sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), 303(2) (theft), and 309(5) (robbery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The investigation team analysed CCTV footage to track Rayal’s movements. A key discovery revealed that he had used a different scooter from the one registered with the bike aggregator for the ride. Using a combination of technical surveillance and human intelligence, the police traced and arrested him at his home in Pandav Nagar’s Ganesh Nagar area, where he lived with his family.
During the investigation, the police found that Rayal had discarded the victim’s bag after removing the cash. CCTV footage showed a ragpicker later retrieving the dumped bag.