‘Twisted my arm, no help from Uber or Delhi Police’: Woman alleges assault by cab driver, raises safety concerns

Chaturvedi said that on Wednesday afternoon, she had booked an Uber from her Vasant Vihar residence to a doctor in Sarvodaya Enclave, South Delhi. She shared that she was struggling with severe pollution at the time. “Pollution was brutal, my asthma was flaring, and I could barely breathe or see from the itching eyes and burning scalp,” she wrote.

Chaturvedi alleges the driver stopped far from the designated drop-off point. When she asked him to continue properly, the driver moved only a short distance before stopping again, “kept demanding directions, and then suddenly sped past the turn”.

Instead of turning back, the driver allegedly took an unfamiliar lane, ignoring the route. Chaturvedi says he refused to stop and accelerated, following which, she pushed open the door to make him stop the vehicle. At that moment, he allegedly twisted her arm while still holding the wheel.

“I screamed. He stopped. I got out quickly. Mercifully, I had a tiny crossbody with only my phone and asthma inhaler, a little cash,” she wrote.

She said she immediately dialled 100 and tried contacting Uber Safety, but says no one answered, while the driver asked her to “go ahead and call the police”. He then refused to accept payment, and she eventually took an auto to the clinic.

Describing her attempts to reach Uber for help, she said, “First, the AI said I needed to disconnect and call something else if I felt unsafe. I did. Nobody replied. They called back after 4 minutes to say they were ‘concerned’, but since they weren’t physically present on ground, they couldn’t help. Two hours later, they called me again, repeated the same line.”

Chaturvedi also expressed frustration at the lack of response from the Delhi Police. She wrote that she had trusted the police to react promptly, which is why she dialled for help.

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Dear women of Delhi

I took an @Uber_India from Vasant Vihar to sarvodaya enclave to the doc. The pin stopped near Essex farms, driver agreed to drop me minus pin. But began getting irritated and yelling and suddenly turned while i asked him to go straight for a u turn.

Asked…

— Bharati Chaturvedi (@Bharati09) November 26, 2025

Uber issued a statement saying, “Behaviour like this is absolutely not condoned, and your safety shall always remain a priority. Please share your specific trip with date and time of the trip and registered contact details associated with your Uber account via Direct Message. Our safety team will be in touch with you shortly,” the company replied.

The deputy commissioner of police (South Delhi) confirmed that an investigation is ongoing and promised appropriate legal steps. “The matter has been duly taken into cognisance and is being inquired into. A DM has been sent to you for additional details. Appropriate legal action shall be initiated based on the findings,” DCP South Delhi responded.

The matter has been duly taken into cognisance and is being inquired into. A DM has been sent to you for additional details. Appropriate legal action shall be initiated based on the findings

— DCP South Delhi (@DCPSouthDelhi) November 26, 2025

Chaturvedi said she was “physically okay—minor pain, major anger”.

She also highlighted the broader concern about safety systems. “The real issue is this: We are not safe. And we cannot outsource our safety to corporations whose priority is profits and scale, not security,” she wrote.

Comparing the situation to unchecked air travel, she added, “If an Uber ride can turn into a scenario where a driver can twist my arm, but Uber doesn’t have a system to check this in a reassuring way, this is serious trouble. It is like boarding a flight with no security check—what does that say about the system we’re trusting our lives with?”