Police probe Ola, Uber, Rapido after cab driver kills child; Gurgaon car owner questioned
Following the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl whose body was dumped near the Gurgaon border, Delhi Police have launched an investigation into ride-hailing giants Ola, Uber, and Rapido. As part of the ongoing probe, investigators have also questioned a Gurgaon-based cab owner to determine how the accused driver was hired without proper background checks.
The accused driver, 29-year-old Bashu Kumar Singh, allegedly kidnapped the minor girl while she was sleeping on a pavement early Monday morning. Singh raped and killed the child before dumping her body, and was arrested by the police later that day.
During the subsequent investigation, police discovered that Singh had a history of criminal activity, with five cases registered against him in Bihar between 2015 and 2022. These charges include two cases of attempt to murder and three for assault and brawling, including an alleged attack on a police officer in Khagaria district. Despite this record, Singh was actively driving for Ola, Uber, and Rapido.
Delhi Police have formally written to all three app-based cab aggregators, demanding details of Singh's employment history, his onboarding process, and the verification protocols used. Investigators are seeking his complete work records, including his joining dates, total completed rides, and any past customer complaints. If previous complaints exist, police will look into whether the platforms took any action.
Additionally, police questioned the owner of the cab, who resides in Gurgaon, to ask if he had conducted any independent police verification before handing the vehicle over to Singh.
The investigation aims to establish whether there was negligence, a technical failure, or procedural lapses by the ride-hailing platforms. According to police sources, the findings could lead to legal action against the aggregators if they are found to have flouted mandatory rules. The probe is also expected to identify systemic gaps in driver verification that compromise passenger safety.
At the time of reporting, Ola, Uber, and Rapido had not responded to inquiries regarding their driver verification processes in this case.
