Cops trace rapist Uber cab driver through his cellphone

In massive search operation that involved police teams from Delhi and Mathura, 32-year-old cabbie has been picked up from the Delhi-Agra highway near Mathura within 48 hours of the incident

New Delhi: A taxi driver accused of raping a 27-year-old woman executive on Friday night was arrested yesterday from Mathura even as the US-based cab firm Uber with whom he worked was directed by Delhi police to join its probe.

When will this stop? Several protesters marched to the Police Headquarters after the a 27-year-old woman was raped by a cab driver in New Delhi on Friday. Pic/PTI

In a swift operation, 32-year-old Shiv Kumar Yadav was apprehended from Mathura, his home town, by a team of Delhi Police with the help of their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh.

“The accused (Yadav) has been arrested from Mathura with the help of Uttar Pradesh police. He is being brought to
Delhi,” said DCP (North) Madhur Verma.

The police said that during investigations prime facie it has emerged that criminal negligence was made out on the part of Uber as a number of alleged shortcomings were found on their part as neither the driver was verified nor there was a GPS tracking device in the car.

DIG (Agra Range) Lakshmi Singh said the cab in which the crime took place was owned by Yadav and he was traced through his mobile number and has been handed over to Delhi police.

As a massive search operation involving 12 Delhi police teams was on in Mathura and other parts of Uttar Pradesh to nab the accused. According to the Police, Yadav was residing in a rented accommodation in Chandarpuri locality in Mathura and when the police team reached at his residence, he was not found there.

In the evening, the joint team headed by ASP Ajay Pal of Uttar Pradesh Police apprehended the accused from a house at Meer Magan Highway in Mathura which was at a distance of about one km from his rented accommodation.

The police also said that identity of the owner of the house from where Yadav was arrested was yet to be ascertained. It said Yadav originally hails from Elau police station area of Mainpuri district in Uttar Pradesh.

“The vehicle has been found and is being brought to Delhi and FSL examination by forensic experts will be done here,” said Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat. The police have issued a notice to Uber under section 161 CrPC to join investigation in the case.

“We have issued them a notice to join investigation. There are norms to operate such cab service set by the Transport Department and we will see whether they were followed or not,” said Verma.

‘Unlicenced, unverified’
The driver did not have a driving licence issued by the Delhi Transport Authority and the only link the service provider had with him was a smartphone app which he exited after the incident, the police said. A case has been registered at Sarai Rohilla Police Station under Sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC.

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