Fake online taxi driver arrested over harassing woman

KARACHI: Police officials have arrested a person, who is running an online taxi with fake identification (ID), and harassed a woman in Karachi, ARY News reported on Sunday.

The recent incident is latest in the series of criminal activities being carried out in metropolis to snatch valuable assets of citizens by posing as drivers of online ride-hailing service.

Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) East told media that the culprit was running an online taxi through fake identification.

“The affected woman informs the police department through its helpline 15 over facing harassment by the taxi driver,” he said.

“The culprit has also snatched her mobile phone,” the police officer said.

The arrested person was shifted to an undisclosed location for further investigation.

Earlier on June 12, police had claimed to arrest four people belonging to a “criminal gang” aimed at robbing customers of an online taxi service.

The four suspects namely Ejaz, Sajid, Umer and Fawad were using a cover of online taxi drivers to rob passengers of their valuables, Senior Superintendent (SSP) East Ghulam Azfar Mahesar told media.

“Ejaz drove for a private online cab hailing service in Karachi and the group primarily targeted female passengers,” revealed SSP East.

Ejaz harassed and robbed a girl from Lahore on June 3, the phone was recovered with the help of the technical team at District East police station, the charges against the accused read. Ejaz was also carrying an illegal weapon, the charges entail.

The group has also been found involved in tampering with the national identification database being controlled and regulated by National Database and Registration Authority, Pakistan (NADRA).

The accused were also making fake driving licenses using Adobe Photoshop with help of the official driving license branch website, the police officer added.