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A short cab ride turned into a nightmare for a Gurugram woman and her son after the cab driver held them at gunpoint and forced her to transfer Rs 55,000 into his account. The cab driver then made the mother and son exit the vehicle and sped away.
The driver, associated with cab aggregator BluSmart, has been arrested. The aggregator has said it was "disturbed" by the incident, apologised to the passenger and her family and assured that it would strengthen safety protocols further.
The incident occurred Friday when the woman and her son took a BluSmart cab from Airia Mall in Gurgaon to her home in Sector 86. Near Sector 83, the driver stopped the cab and pointed a gun at her. He then forced her to transfer Rs 55,000 to his account through a UPI app. He kept her bag too, asked them to get out of the car and drove away.
Police yesterday said that they had arrested the cab driver. Sonu Singh is from Uttar Pradesh and lived as a tenant in Gurugram. He has been remanded in police custody for a day, "The recovery (of money) will be made after interrogating the accused," a police officer said.
BluSmart has said in a statement that it was "deeply saddened and disturbed" by the incident.
"The safety and security of our riders is our utmost priority. We have stringent onboarding processes, including mandatory background checks, face-to-face interviews, and driving tests. Our technology platform incorporates facial recognition to verify driver identities and a dedicated safety helpline for riders. Despite these measures, this unfortunate incident highlights the need for constant vigilance and improvement," it has said.
pic.twitter.com/Jr0SZwvXTH
— BluSmart (@BluSmartIndia) December 3, 2024
The cab aggregator said BluSmart's "exhaustive documentation" about the driver and "swift actions" of the team had helped police arrest him within 24 hours.
"We are taking immediate steps to further strengthen our safety protocols, including additional training for our driver-partners and enhanced technology solutions. We apologize to the affected family and are committed to providing them with all necessary support. We will continue to work tirelessly to rebuild trust and ensure that every BluSmart ride is a safe and comfortable experience," the statement added.
Deeply disturbed by the recent incident involving a @BluSmartIndia rider & child being robbed. After 5+ years of building a safe mobility solution, this feels personal.
Safety is our foundation: robust background checks, facial recognition, safety helplines, and more.…
— Anmol Singh Jaggi (@AnmolJaggi) December 3, 2024
BluSmart co-founder Anmol Singh Jaggi said "this feels personal" after building a safe mobility solution over five years. "Safety is our foundation: robust background checks, facial recognition, safety helplines, and more. BluSmart's exhaustive documentation process, coupled with swift action from our QRT team, ensured the accused was caught in less than 24 hours of the incident being reported.
"Immediate steps: enhanced driver training & strengthened safety protocols. Your safety is our priority. Always," he said in a post on X.