Man flees with cab after booking it from student’s phone

Mysuru: Police have launched a hunt to nab a man, who has fled with a cab after booking it from a student’s tab.

On May 23 night, the man booked a cab using the tab of a student who was standing near the City Railway Station. When the cab came to the spot, the man boarded the cab and told the driver to take him to Infosys. After reaching Infosys, the man somehow convinced the driver and took him to a deserted place near Megalapura where he allegedly fled with the car.

Details: On May 23 at about 7 pm, an engineering student, who came by a train, was waiting for his friend near a hotel at the Railway Station Circle when he was approached by an unidentified man, who told the student that he wanted to go to Infosys urgently and was drenched. The stranger then told the student that his phone was not working and asked him to book a cab from his (student’s) phone.

When the student told him that his internet data had exhausted, the stranger pleaded him to somehow book a cab. The student then downloaded the ‘Jugnoo App’ on his tab and booked a cab to Infosys. Within five minutes, a Ritz car (KA-09 C-6083) arrived at the spot and the stranger boarded the cab after thanking the student.

Raghuswamy, the driver-cum-owner of the cab, took the passenger to Infosys main gate as the drop point was mentioned as Infosys and told the passenger to alight from the cab as he had reached his destination.

But the passenger told Raghuswamy that his relative was waiting for him a little distance from the drop point and asked Raghuswamy to take him there and told him that he would pay the extra rent.

Raghuswamy then proceeded towards the place. After passing through KRS Road, the cab headed to a deserted place where road works had been taken up and the road was filled with sand and big stones which was blocking the path. Raghuswamy got down from the cab and was removing the big stones, when the passenger fled with the cab.

As it was dark, Raghuswamy walked to Megalapura and informed the villagers about the incident. He later came to Yelwal Police Station and lodged a complaint.

The Police immediately flashed the message along with the car number to the District Police Control Room and inspected the mobile phone of Raghuswamy and got the details of the student who had booked the cab.

When the Police enquired the student, he told them that he had booked the cab for a stranger out of humanitarian grounds and he did not know him in person. Raghuswamy, a native of V.P. Bore village in the taluk, is a resident of Hootagalli and was plying the cab for a living. Yelwal Police are investigating.