Bengaluru Airport Horror: Woman Shares Harrowing Experience After Boarding Fake Cab

Bengaluru: Recently, a woman shared a harrowing experience after boarding a fake cab at Kempegowda International Airport. She recounted on X (formerly Twitter) that she initially thought the vehicle was an Ola cab.

The woman stated she had booked an Ola cab from the airport’s designated pickup area around 10:30 p.m. on November 8. While she was waiting, another cab approached her, offering to take her to her destination.

“Almost got trafficked/raped/looted/assaulted by a random cab driver who was let in by Bengaluru Airport in the Ola pickup station and impersonated to be one at terminal 1 of the airport at 10:30pm had I not called 112, I’d not be here typing this,” her post read.

She boarded the cab, only to realize the driver was an impersonator, as he neither asked for the mandatory OTP nor used the official Ola app.

Instead, the driver asked her to enter her destination into his personal Maps app, claiming his official app was malfunctioning. As they proceeded, he demanded extra fare. When she refused, he instructed her to switch cars to pay the fare.

Growing suspicious, she asked the driver to return to the airport pickup area. The driver ignored her requests, stopped at a petrol station, and demanded ₹500 for fuel.

Remaining calm, the woman dialed the emergency helpline 112 and sent continuous updates to a family member. Police quickly arrived within 20 minutes and apprehended the driver, later identified as Basavaraj.

The incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of women using ride-hailing services, especially at night.