Uber driver arrested for robbery, car theft

The Delhi police’s crime branch has busted a gang that allegedly used an Uber taxi to commit robberies and carjackings in Delhi-NCR. One member of the gang, who drives an Uber taxi, has been arrested for his alleged association with the group of robbers and carjackers, named Danish-Monu gang, the police said on Thursday.

The arrested Uber driver, identified as Mohammad Intezar (34), was involved in two crimes in Delhi and Noida in 2015 and 2016. To avoid police attention, Intezar used to ferry gang members, posing as passengers, in his taxi before and after they committed any crime. Intezar was last arrested in a house robbery case reported from Pandav Nagar area in east Delhi in March 2015.

A Hyundai Xcent car, owned by Intezar and attached allegedly with Uber, has been seized by the police. The taxi was used by Intezar and other gang members when they robbed a Honda City car near Wave shopping mall in Noida in May. A case of carjacking was registered at the Sector 20, Noida police station.

Investigators said they are questioning Intezar to find how he managed to get attached as a driver with Uber despite having been arrested in a criminal case. They suspect him of allegedly providing forged documents to the mobile app-based cab booking firm for obtaining permission to drive his vehicle for them.

Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police (crime branch), said Intezar was arrested on July 5 after assistant sub-inspector Yudhveer Singh received information that he was wanted in the Noida carjacking case and would meet his associates near Goyla Dairy in Dwarka.