Pune: The Baner police have filed a case against an Uber cab driver on charges of touching a 42-year-old makeup artist inappropriately during a quarrel with her over fare. The incident is reported to have occurred around 10.42am on Sunday. An officer of the Baner police told TOI on Monday evening, “We have the cab’s registration number and the driver’s details and will detain him soon.” Police said the woman works with a beauty parlour and had hired the cab from Narhe for going to Baner. On reaching the destination, she said the driver picked an argument with her by demanding fare that was higher than the amount shown online on the app. The police officer added, “The demand for higher fare led to a verbal exchange. She said that the driver also hurled abuses at her. The complainant refused to pay the extra fare that the driver was demanding. She said that he then touched her inappropriately and fled from the spot.” The police have filed a case with charges under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 74 (outraging modesty) and 75 (sexual harassment).The woman also raised a complaint on the Uber app after the incident. When contacted, an Uber spokesperson told TOI, “Any form of inappropriate contact is unacceptable and violates Uber’s community guidelines. We removed the driver’s access to the Uber app after the rider reported the incident to us via the Uber helpline. We stand ready to assist law enforcement.”
