Auto ride home turns into airport employee's worst nightmare

A 24-year-old international airport employee's rickshaw ride home in Lokhandwala turned out to be nightmare after the errant driver first refused to drive her and then forcibly took her to Kurla instead.

The incident happened at around 11 pm on Thursday, when the victim, who worked at the T2 lounge, finished her shift and prepared to go home. When she asked a rickshaw driver to ply her to Lokhandwala, he refused.

An officer from Sahar police, said, "When she started arguing with him about why he refused, the driver agreed to drop her off. Enraged, he sped up the auto even before she could sit properly. She fell inside the auto and sustained injuries." The driver refused to stop and continued to speed. He then took her via another route and drove towards Kurla. "When she asked him to stop, he started yelling and threatening her. He told her that he is taking her to meet her family in Kurla. The woman then called the police control room. She could not provide the details of the auto's registration number. Then she called her fiance," said the officer.

The woman's fiance was on the phone with her throughout the commute. After a while, the driver stopped the rickshaw in Kurla and about 10 people, who were allegedly his family members, gathered in the area. They started abusing her and tried to drag her out. "Soon after this, her fiance reached the spot and saw her inside the auto crying. The duo went to Kurla police, after which the case was transferred to Sahar. We have arrested the 50-year-old driver," said Prashant Marde, senior police inspector of Sahar police. The accused was arrested on charges of kidnapping, produced before a court and later let out on bail.