The New Indian Express ·
Cabbie molests, attempts to disrobe female passenger near Navi Mumbai airport; booked
A late-night cab ride turned into a nightmare for a woman after a taxi driver allegedly molested her and attempted to disrobe her on a deserted service road near the Navi Mumbai International Airport, police said on Monday.
The incident occurred around 1 am on Sunday after the victim’s friend booked a cab from Mumbai's Chembur area to drop her off at her Panvel residence, an official said.
Around 2 km from the airport along the Airport Service Road, the driver, Mohammad Afzal Shaikh, halted the cab on the pretext of drinking water, and allegedly moved to the rear seat, grabbed the woman's hand and attempted to take off her clothes, which led to a desperate struggle before she managed to break free and escape, the official said.
Following the assault, the woman contacted her family and reached home before approaching the Panvel police station to lodge a complaint.
As the scene of crime came under the jurisdiction of the Navi Mumbai Airport police station, Panvel officers escorted her there in a service vehicle, he said.
The Airport Police have registered a case against Shaikh under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and have launched a search for him using technical surveillance and information from the cab aggregator, the official added.